Escaping Fate
by Gohan Strife
Summary: Rei Hino, Priestess of the Hiwaka Shrine, Senshi of Fire, reinncarnation of the princess of Mars. A plane crash leaves her with a desperate fight against time, and untimately, her fate.
1. Book 1 Part I I

**Escaping Fate**

**Book I**

**Part I**

**I**

Rain poured profoundly down from the black haze in the sky, spattering heavily upon the pavement below. Dark clouds prevented the sun's light, creating walls of darkness all around the skies of Tokyo. The skies would brighten every now from claps of thunder, but none met the ground. Winds picked up heavily, debris upon the streets of the large city lifting from the ground, papers of all kinds twirling around, dancing along with the wind's silent music. Traffic was light, most simply staying in doors until the storm lifted. A girl sat upon the steps of a private school, gray colored skirt, matching the attire required of the school. The students all but left, most of the teachers already driven away to escape the rain. The girl heard a click from behind her, signaling the school's closure, and the doors locking.

The girl continued to sit amongst the steps, eyes locked upon the corner of the street in which she expected a car to show. Her hair was soaked, her uniform drenched, as she pulled her knees to her chest, her book bag hanging loosely around her left wrist. Her hair and clothes stuck to her body due to the moisture, but she never moved from her spot to fix her clothing, or to change from the uncomfortable position, keeping those dark purple hues upon that corner, as if expecting any moment for the limo to pull around the corner, and her father waving to her, playing off another excuse to why he was late.

It came to a shock to her that her father would actually want to plan something, other than a 'let's catch up on old times' dinner, but to plan an entire weekend off to some place she hadn't even heard of seemed something she couldn't believe. However, the lack of a father in her life forced her to believe, forced her to tell all her friends of the trip, as well as pack a week in advance for the trip. The plan was that her father himself would be picking her up from school, drop by the shrine to pick up a few things, then head straight for the airport and board the plane.

So here she was, Rei Hino, awaiting her father in the rain, thirty minutes late, and two hours before their flight would leave. Waiting, as she always did. Always waiting at the restaurants her father would pick out, waiting at the shrine for her father to pick her up. Her fingers clasped tightly together, her teeth clenched, feeling her eyes fill with moisture. Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she pushed the negative thoughts aside, trying to keep herself positive with thoughts of him getting a flat tire, or just simply being held up in a press conference, or board meeting.

All thoughts were whisked away, when the familiar shouts of laughter filled her ears, her eyes darting to the opposite side of the school. Her head quickly went down, her hair shadowing over her eyes, a feeling of stupidity and embarrassment filling her suddenly. The laughter and chatter of two teenage girls stopped, as Rei felt the two presences just before the school. Footsteps through the rain made their way toward the girl, as she kept her stare upon the steps she sat upon, not wanting to look up at the concerned eyes of those who stood before her.

"Rei?" she heard one voice ask, seeming out of breath, seeing the long blonde hair of one leaning over to try to make eye contact with her. Rei wiped her face with her wrist, before looking up, her eyes slightly red, and her nose was slightly runny, causing her to sniffle a bit.

"Oh, hey Minako," she said, trying to keep her voice as enthusiastic as she could. The girl smiled brightly enough for Rei to find it in herself to reply with a smile of her own. "What are you two doing here?" Rei kicked herself mentally, knowing the fact that her school just so happens to be in the middle of her friends' route to and from school.

"Well, Usagi got a ride from Mamoru, and Ami got a ride from her mom, so me and Mina decided to run home in the rain," the tall brunette beside the blonde replied, smirking to the panting blonde beside her. Rei bit her lip as she lowered her view, knowing good and well what the next question would be, and no matter of wishing would stop it from coming.

"What are you still doing here, Rei? Aren't you supposed to be at the airport in an hour?" Minako asked, after she seemed to catch her breath. Rei's fists clenched tighter, hoping it would go unnoticed.

"My dad's running a little late," she lied. "He told me to wait here for him." Minako tilted her head to the side, her smile holding with a nod. Makato's brows lowered a bit, as if sensing the girl's thoughts. Rei swallowed another lump in her throat, but she wasn't questioned any further.

"Well, hope you have a good time Rei," the blonde said, waving her hand as she sped off, leaving Makato in the dust. The tall senshi of thunder stood a moment, placing a hand upon the priestess' shoulder.

"I'll be home all day, Rei," she said, holding more meaning behind her words. Rei nodded her head, still not meeting the brunette's dark green eyes. With that being said, Makato quickly caught up to Minako, and they were both in a dash for Makato's apartment. Rei's face fell to her knees once they were out of sight, still having no tears to drop. She breathed in the air fully, holding it in until her head went light, then let it out, closing her eyes.

"He'll be here," she said aloud, her head lifting, while her hands wiped the water from her face in a useless effort. "He'll be here."

After another thirty minutes, Rei's raven locks parted ways, as her eyes met a black limo turning a corner, and stopping in front of her school. A man stepped out from the driver's seat, extending his hand and motioning to Rei to come over, while he moved his way to the passenger's side back seat, opening the door for the girl. Rei hesitated at first, before she picked up her back, hurrying to the car. She paused a moment, looking to the man, who was obviously looking the girl's soaked attire over. After a shake of his head, Rei entered the limo, finally realizing exactly how cold she was. Her body shook all over, her teeth chattering, her jaw clenched trying to prevent it at the same time. Her hands instantly hugged around her, as she took a seat on the padded seating, looking around, but finding no one in the limo. She heard the front door open and close, the driver quickly pulling off.

"Mr. Hino got held up in at a press conference, he said he'll meet you at the airport," the man said through the silence, once they stopped at a light. "You have to stop by the Hiwaka Shrine, ne?" Rei nodded in the mirror, and the man went on. "I haven't been there in ages, just a few blocks down on the right, correct?" Rei nodded again in silence, in which the driver suddenly took the hint. Rei leaned herself against the side of the car, her hands moving up and down her arms, her skin cold and filled with goose bumps. She suddenly felt heat blasting through a vent, her eyes meeting the gaze of the man in the front.

"Thank you," she replied quietly, almost a whisper. The man nodded in response, obviously having read the girl's lips, the rest of the ride in complete silence.

It took Rei less than five minutes to run into the shrine, dry off, change clothes, grab her things, and jump back into the limo, this time of course remembering to bring an umbrella as she ran through the pouring rain. Again, the car ride was left in complete silence, Rei's eyes locked to the window as they flew by traffic. They reached the airport, the driver quickly gathering Rei's things for her before Rei could even get out of the car. She thanked the man one last time, before she pulled her wheeled luggage with her into the airport.

Crowds of people swarmed the airport, all awaiting for different reasons, whether be for their own flights, flights of friends, flights of family, or just waiting for their luggage to return to them. Security was tight, as it always was; safety a big issue for airports, one reason why Rei's father suggested to leave right after school. Rei quickly pushed the though from her mind, as she pushed her way through the crowd, desperately in search of her father. The crowd was so jumbled together, it was nearly impossible for her to tell one from another. She sighed in frustration, as she pulled her suitcase through the crowd, a few mild curses thrown her way as she simply shrugged them off.

After ten minutes of waiting in line, and going through security, she dropped off her luggage, now only holding a small arm-bag, wrapped around her shoulder, she quickly ran through the slightly slimmer crowd of people, making her way toward her gate, ticket in hand. As she reached her gate, she froze in her steps, her eyes staring at a certain aged man flirting with a stewardess, black-suited guards standing near by, but far enough away as to not suffocate the man. As the she neared, the man seemed to take notice, making a parting phrase that sent shivers down the fire senshi's spine.

"Rei!" the man spoke, a political smile plastered upon his face, one of which the black haired girl's fiery gaze burned right through. The man hesitated under the glare, but Rei shook her head, replacing it with a forced smile, her hair still slightly damp from the rain, a black umbrella in one hand, her bag over the other arm's shoulder. They stood there in awkward silence for a moment, neither really moving forward, before the stewardess came forth, announcing everyone to board the plane.

"Oh, so this is your daughter Senator?" the girl said, eyeing the priestess. Rei's eyes fell to the floor, feeling more uncomfortable by the minute, wishing she had just said no to her dad's offer.

"Why yes, yes it is," he said, as he placed a hand upon the girl's shoulder, standing by her side, as if showing off a trophy. Rei felt herself shrink more, but forced her self to smile. Even if it was forced and uncomfortable, it was nice to have the attention. After more words were spoken, the two headed onto the plane, taking their seats in the front, Rei's father offering his daughter the window seat, which she took invitingly. The two sat in silence before the plane took off, neither one really knowing what to say.

_'If he's not going to talk to me, why would he want to be with me a whole weekend?'_ Rei's thoughts had been in her mind the moment they met up, the question continuing to run through her mind as the silence continued. As if the man read her mind, Rei's father turned to her, his hands resting upon the arm rest.

"Rei," he started, making sure he had her full attention. "I called your grandfather earlier this week about your future. Should anything happen to me, I wanted to make sure you were taken care of." Rei blinked suddenly, not liking the tone in her father's voice. "One of my security guards was shot the other day during a press conference," he said as he turned away slightly. "I guess you're not the only one that hates me," he said with a forced chuckle.

"I don't hate you," Rei quickly added, biting her lip as she turned her eyes away. Her father blinked, as he returned his gaze to his daughter. He smiled lightly, and continued on. He went on about life insurance, and how his lawyers met up with her grandfather and himself, both of them placing life insurance upon themselves for a just incase scenario. Rei took a moment to register all the shocking information, but after he was done, she could only nod. It would explain why he was suddenly taking the weekend off to be with her, having nearly been shot while waving to a crowd of reporters, but it still felt odd to her. After everyone was seated, the small private plane took off.

Filled with attorneys, and a few bodyguards, Rei forced herself to relax against the cushioned seat, her gaze outside the window to the terrible weather that tore through the huge capital. Laughter could be heard in front of her, older men in suits tipping their alcohol-filled glasses to one another, apparently having won a case for Rei's father, and celebrating it upon their plane ride. Other suited-men, ones filled with a black attire sat one seat in front of her, conversing over things Rei chose not to listen to. Rei's father spoke to a lawyer next to him about the same case it seemed, though Rei forced her attention to the bad weather outside, still wishing she hadn't come. Though, the conversation her father had just shared with her plagued her mind, her thoughts completely changing, and forcing her to attempt to bond with her father. This surely was going to be one hell of a weekend.

-----

Two days later, Rei sighed heavily, waiting upon a chair in the airport, her father no where in sight. The weekend hadn't been a disaster as Rei had predicted, but it did involve Rei's father constantly being pulled left and right, and Rei being left in a hotel room alone, mostly spending her time flipping through channels, ordering room service, or spending the money her father had given her. Though they were only materials offered to her to forget the fact that her father wasn't there, the dinners they had spent were better than the ones they spent once a year together.

Her father told her he'd meet her at the airport once again, this time Rei making it in time to relax and wait before the flight, instead of rushed at the last minute, and completely soaked in rain water. Twenty minutes later, and the abrupt laughter of older men caught her ears, as she looked over her shoulder to find her father conversing with the people who were also apart of this 'get away' trip for just herself and her father. Her eyes merely shifted up for a second, before they fell upon the book once again, wondering what reasoning she had for actually going through with this.

It took a mere ten minutes for the Senator's crew to fill their seats, jokes of their trip filling the miko's ears, unable to wait for the moment for the plane to take off. Most of the plane ride was filled with unnecessary comments, crude humor, and a high taste of alcohol, the scent of scotch filling her nostrils quickly, focusing her thoughts upon something else for the remainder of the trip. Rei let herself lean back against the chair, her eyes upon the book she had bought in her travels. Her seat was currently leaned back, but was forced to bring it forward when the light above her lit up.

"Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking. We're going to be hitting some turbulence in a few minutes, please return to your seats, and make sure your seats and tray tables are in their up right and locked position. It will only last for a short while, thank you."

As the voice ended its sentence, it left an eerie feeling in the pit of the priestess' stomach, and a chill down her spine. Her mind told her to ignore it, but not matter how much she tried to ignore it, the thought remained in the back of her mind, like an annoying fly that you just cant swat away. Her brows lowered, as irritation settled in. Eyes unable to focus upon the book before her, she shut it with a light thud, and an appropriate mumble of mixed words.

A blonde-haired woman's face appeared over the seat in front of her, hearing the thud of the book shutting. It was the face of one of her father's attorney's, apparently one of the best in Tokyo, or so she had heard. The woman conversed with her during one of the dinners she went to with her dad and the rest of the crew on the plane. The woman's bright blue eyes reminded her of Usagi and Minako for a moment, but the over confident smirk she always wore tossed that vision right out the window.

"I'm glad you decided to buy that book, Ms. Hino," the woman replied. Rei let a half grin escape her lips, as she placed the book to her side, tucking it underneath her arm. "Don't worry, the chances of a plane going down from mere turbulence is about one in a million." With that said, the woman turned to her father to talk, before a stewardess tapped her on the shoulder, scolding her to return herself to the proper seating position. Reluctantly, the girl gave a deathly glare, before she turned like a child, her face disappearing from Rei's vision. The child-like attitude would once again remind her of her two blonde friends back home, the same ones she would be meeting at the airport in less than thirty minutes.

Rei's eyes traveled to the window, the thick fog and slight soundless flashes tensing her more. As she tried to pull her vision away, at the last second her eyes caught something. At first, it just seemed like a black shadow upon the wing, but when she looked closer, it appeared to take a form of a bird. Black rigged feathers, and a pointy black beak, the creature let out a silent cry, its own red beady eyes staring directly back at the girl. Rei hesitated, as she stared at the creature. It was almost as if the raven-like bird wasn't looking at her, but into her very soul, judging her. It sent chills down her spin the moment the creature cried out again, its wings spreading outward, as if it were just about to fly straight into the window.

Rei looked away, her arms shaking that of her father's, who was currently laughing it up with his fellow partners and co-workers, the smell of alcohol much heavier than the first plane ride there. As her father returned his vision to his daughter with a questioning gaze, she merely pointed to the window, resulting in a shrug of his shoulders, as he turned and continued the conversation as if he hadn't just been interrupted. Rei then looked back to the window, seeing absolutely nothing upon the wing. Thoughts ran through her mind faster than the plane they were riding in.

_'How could a bird be standing on a wing? We're going so fast, it wouldn't be able to just stand there,'_ Rei told her self, convincing herself that she was just on edge since the beginning of their vacation. Crossing her arms over her chest, she swallowed the lump in her throat that had formed suddenly, lowering herself in her seat as the plane started to go through the turbulence the pilot had warned them about.

The floor beneath her started to shake lightly, though went unnoticed to the passengers all around her. Her eyes moved to the stewardess who was currently running up to another one, whispering something to her ear. No matter how much her ears strained, she couldn't quite hear the conversation over the loud laughter of the passengers to her right. The two women quickly finished serving drinks, before they made their way to their own seats, Rei's eyes capturing the two buckling in, gripping the seats arm rests tightly, before the light blue colored curtain closed.

The small plane shook once again, more forceful than the last, a few spilled drinks upon the carpeted floor below, gathering the attention of the lawyers and politicians, the darkness from around the plane thickening, leaving the only lighting from within the plane itself. Loud cackles turned to quiet laughter, then to hesitant chuckles, as the plane shook violently, Rei's hands gripping the armrest next to her so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her eyes widened, filled with fear, her jaw clenching tensely, looking over to her father, who was trying to hold back the fear in his own eyes, looking to his daughter to try to tell her there was nothing to worry about. His mouth open to speak, but the words wouldn't come out, as he was nearly thrown off balance, the plane nearly shifting entirely to the left.

More drinks spilled to the floor, as silence filled the plane for the first time since they took off. The lights flickered a moment, some muffled cries could be heard, Rei's grip upon the armrest next to her tightening even more ,her eyes shutting tightly. Memories of Makato telling her of her parents dying in a plane accident filled her mind the moment her lids shut, images filling her mind of a fiery death, a massive ball of flame slamming into the runway, as fire trucks pulled up too late to save any. Rei's eyes shot open, unable to even blink, feeling a large rough hand upon hers.

Once again, her eyes met her fathers, whose eyes were filled with remorse. Rei fought back the tears, as a silent conversation went on between herself and her father. She felt the man tug on her hand lightly, as Rei's grip turned to her father's. Rei felt like a small child, as the plane shook violently, her head jerking forward, a thud filling her ears as her vision blurred. She heard her father say something, but the images before her blurred together. She didn't feel anything to have affected it, until a numbness hit her nose, feeling warm thick liquid upon the tip of her mouth, running down her chin.

Her hand instantly went up to her nose, when a sharp pain finally made itself known the moment she touched it. She heard her father cry out again, a towel quickly placed over her face, her hands pushing others away, pain apparent with her father's touch. After a nod of reassurance, she felt her father's gaze leave her, but the fear was still evident in both their eyes. She heard the girl in front of her screaming about not being able to breath, the small man next to her quickly screaming for some type of bag.

The silence broke into cries, as a loud crash could be heard. Unable to tell if it was the plane, the wind, or them smashing into something, Rei's eyes moved out the window. Terror filled her eyes, as she was unable to pull her gaze away. Memories of her past filled her mind, her purple orbs unable to keep up the fight against the moisture, letting tears run down her cheeks. She remembered the day she had first met Usagi, and their adventures together, eventually increasing their small group of friends into a powerful force to be reckoned with. Though, as powerful as the senshi of fire was, there was nothing she could do in this situation, as she watched more memories pass by.

-----

**End I**

Author's Notes: This isn't going to be your usual Sailor Moon story. I'm going to try to make this different, so just bare with me for the first few chapters. It will most likely be very long, and full of suspense, so review and keep an eye out for the next chapter.


	2. Book 1 Part I II

**Escaping Fate**

**Book I**

**Part I**

**II**

Teno Haruka drove her car down the road, her wipers slashing across her windshield, tossing the drops of rain that dared to hit her car aside, the headlights giving a mere fifteen feet of light in front of her through the heavy rains. It had rained all weekend just the same, the storm only giving up when the night consumed the citizens of Tokyo, and hit just as hard once again when the light of day tried to make its way through the dark clouds above. The long road ahead ran through a deep forest, before the outskirts of her city would eventually reach. With one hand upon the wheel, the other was draped across the seat next to here, where an aqua color haired Kaioh Michiru leaned up against, sleeping soundlessly. The short-haired blonde smiled, bringing her vision back to the treacherous road ahead of them, as the road split from the plains to woodland area in the blink of an eye.

Haruka's brows lowered slightly, as she poured more concentration upon the road, rather than the girl next to her in irritation, wanting rather the opposite. The sound of classical music filled the car, a station choosing of the senshi of the sea next to her, obviously having help the woman fall into the land of dreams. The car's movement slowed, the road narrowing further into the forest. Her right hand gripped the steering wheel harder, as she pulled another corner, her headlights giving even less leeway than previous. A thunderous crash would awaken the woman next to her, as well as nearly throw the car right into a tree. Haruka was able to do one better, as the car came to a sudden stop off road, the roar of the engine and spinning of the tires a proven fact that Haruka had in fact stopped the car in a ditch.

After a few carefully chosen curses, the blonde opened her door, stepping out into the rain, the aqua haired girl next to her stirring slightly, as she looked out her window with a yawn. Haruka smiled at the girl, before she turned to the situation she was dreading. Observing the car, her back tire appeared to be stuck in the ditch, but the front two were fine. With a big enough push, and a foot on the gas, the girl figured they would be fine. A hand went up to brush the wet blonde hair that stuck to her forehead away from her face, a hand placed upon her hip as she debated just when to push. After a call to the front of the car, she started to push, but stopped after a while when she realized the tires weren't moving.

"Michiru, now!" she screamed as she pushed her weight against the car. After another moment of nothing, she pushed herself from the car, aggravation played upon her face , moving herself to the front of the car. The expression upon her girlfriend's face was enough to send chills down her spine. The girl hadn't even gotten into the driver's seat. "What is it?"

Michiru couldn't move, which sent her senses flaring about. Her eyes quickly moved toward whatever it was that sent her girl into that state of mind. Her eyes searched the road and through the trees but saw nothing, until her vision looked up. A plane was dropping at a rapid pace, and the nearest airport was on the other side of Tokyo. Shock slapped the girl across the face, leaving a stinging sensation of fear, unable to pull her eyes from the scene she was about to witness. The small aircraft battled against the win, but it was a loosing battle, declining faster and faster until its final decent would shake the very earth Haruka had been standing upon.

"We've got to do something!" The aqua-haired girl heard her girlfriend scream from outside the car, but she couldn't move herself. Her hands were shaking, as she looked down to her purse, desperately trying to reach for her cell phone. Haruka observed the carnage that unfolded, until the scene vanished from her eyes, mere clouds of smoke hurling from where she last saw the plane before it was drowned in trees.

"Call 9-1-1!" Haruka screamed, as she sprinted across the street. The rain stung against her skin as she ran, her red driving coat flowing behind her. She stumbled over roots, sticks and other various debris fallen from the forest, trying desperately to reach the crash site. Her mind was racing, her heart pounding, a feeling in the pit of her stomach growing, screaming at her that something wasn't right. Her pace quickened, only the silence of the rain, and the thunderous clouds above kept her ears company, worrying more and more of the silence of the passengers of the plane that had fallen.

Her feet came to a halt, mud skidding across the way, as she nearly tripped over an uprooted tree. Her hand brushed the hair from her eyes, as they widened, witnessing the carnage before her. A small private plane was shaped like an L, the nose of the plane smashed from slamming into a solid rock hill, the force of the plane forcing it to part to one side. Haruka forced herself onward, the feeling in the pit of her stomach rising, her hands placed upon the planes side to balance herself.

"Hello?!" she screamed out, steadying herself upon the rocks and up lifted Earth, as she neared a hole in the side of the plane where the nose had split. She breathed heavily, watching her breath escape her lips. She hadn't noticed how cold it was until she reached the opening of the plane, shivers running down her back, unaware if it were from the cold, or from what was waiting for her inside.

Haruka braced herself, placing a hand upon the opening of the crack that had formed from the crash, lifting her weight onto the side of the plane, pulling herself inside. Darkness had greeted the girl, her eyes adjusting at a slower rate than she was wishing. As shadows made themselves known, she saw a hall way that seemed to be in between the cock pit and the rest of the plane. Death quickly filled her senses, her eyes twitching slightly as she entered the hallway. To her left lay the cockpit, and to her right, the passenger area of the plane. Her foot lightly tapped into something, her eyes curiously moving down, her brain screaming in protest.

Her eyes forcefully turned away, a long black haired stewardess upon the floor, with her body bent in an impossible way. Her mind became filled with fog, forcing herself to move forward. She breathed heavily, gently moving passed the dead stewardess. The cockpit was impossible to get into, and by the structure of how the plane had landed, it would be impossible for any pilot to have lived. She moved herself toward the right, to the passengers, some still buckled into their seats, others fallen upon the floor below.

Alcohol filled her senses, as she saw broken pieces of bottles and wine glasses upon the floor, along with two bodies. Moving closer in examination, both were dead. Her eyes moved to those in the seat, one blonde haired woman slightly twitching in her seat, her eyes shut tightly. Haruka quickly moved to the girl, but dare not touch her. Her breath was visible in the cold atmosphere, the blonde slightly feeling the sensation in her mind and stomach easing. Her eyes moved along the next seat, the face of a man catching her eye closest to the walk way. The face looked familiar, as a person she had recognized in television, most likely in politics, always remembering changing the station once his face appeared. Blood dripped from the corners of his mouth, but he too breathed freely, though unconscious as well.

Hope started to fill her mind, moving on to the others in the area. The two to the left were two men, one of which was upon the floor, his neck completely misshapen, the other hurled forward, head between his legs. Her fingers reached for a pulse, not wanting to move the man in fear of harming him more. After three attempts, she assumed the worst. Pulling her hand away, and standing up, she noticed a girl upon the floor next to the politician that she had missed.

A raven-haired girl lay unmoving upon the floor next to him, hair flung about. Her head was sideways, lying in a pool of blood, but it was impossible to see her face due to the hair draping over. The blonde's eyes widened suddenly, unable to move. The clothes were recognizable to that of her fellow teammate, but doubt filled her mind, pushing away the dreaded thought of a fallen senshi. Her arms were flung to either side of her, one sticking under the chair of the person in front of her, the other underneath her, legs tucked into her chest.

Haruka's sudden feeling of hope dropped, as her eyes fell upon the politician next to black haired girl, suddenly remembering why he looked so familiar. Her hand gripped the seat next to her, a feeling of dizziness falling over her, as she tried to keep her balance. She wanted to pull herself away from everything, just run back the way she came, as if she were in a dream, and wake herself up, but the coldness on her figure, and dampness of her skin all felt too real to misjudge as a simple dream.

Haruka fell to one knee, moving next to the girl, a shaking hand moving closer and closer. Her fingertips brushed against her hair, the blonde's brows lowering, the uneasy feeling suddenly returning, as she pushed a few strands of the girl's hair from her face. The pale skin upon her made her stomach turn, the blue lips, and tightly closed eyes that seemed to have been attempting to hide the fear behind them. Her mouth was dry, and a lump had formed in her throat. She hadn't even noticed the breath she had been holding in, until the face she had been dreading to see was before her, face covered in blood, her hand pulling back, unable to breathe suddenly.

Haruka tried to pull her vision away, but she couldn't. She closed her eyes tightly, pushing her fear and dread aside, though unable to keep the tears from forming. Blinking away two, and wiping them from her moist cheeks, she gently caressed the girl's swollen cheek with the tips of her fingers, tracing along her face, moving back the few strands of hair she had missed behind the girl's ear. She remained motionless, not breathing, making the blonde fear the absolute worst. Just when she was about to pull away, from the corner of her right eye, her vision barely upon her, she thought she had just seen the girl's lips twitch. The voice was low, and crackled hesitantly, strain suddenly filling her face.

Haruka quickly knelt herself back down, quickly wanting to shake the girl away, but her own shaking hands dare not touch the girl, afraid that the slightest touch would send her into an eternal sleep. Visible clouds escaped her mouth, relief filling up inside Haruka as she waited for help to arrive, not leaving the girl's side. Another slight mumble escaped her lips, as Haruka's ears strained to hear.

"Mom," the girl barely whispered, Haruka immediately feeling a sharp pain in her heart. The black haired girl's hand twitched, running along the pool of blood her face was upon, pulling itself from underneath the chair. Her body shook suddenly, as if being filled once again with life, her chest rising and falling with sharp quick breathes. Haruka blinked suddenly, unaware of what she had just witnessed. She immediately pulled her jacket from around her, throwing it over her fellow senshi.

"Hang in there, Rei," she whispered, before she pulled herself up, running back outside, her ears catching screaming from within the woods. Haruka breathed a sigh of relief, as she caught her aqua haired woman directing workers to where she herself had just run, an ambulance desperately trying to drive over the thick roots, and stopped as it nearly smashed into a tree. The bright swirling lights and siren were music to her ears, as she leaned heavily upon the plane, misery upon her face as her girlfriend ran up to her, a small hand moved to cover her gasp as she saw the blood upon the blonde's hands. Haruka pulled Michiru into a tight hug, as the paramedics hurried their way into the plane.

-----

Kino Makoto paced around the room, her eyes moving to the numerous travelers making their way passed her, moving along with their own lives. Her eyes moved to the clock just above where herself and her group stood, awaiting the private plane Rei and her father would be upon. It had been marked delayed for the passed half hour, and worry started to fill her mind, as well as some of the others. All conversations between themselves had stopped, her eyes traveling to the others. Usagi sat asleep, her head rested upon the future Prince of Earth's shoulder, an arm wrapped around the slim form next to him in a rather protective way. Mamoru looked up at her just as her eyes fell upon him, worry hitting his face, as she saw his gaze look away from her and to the viewing screen that still held a red flashing 'Delay' next to the plane number.

Makoto moved her vision toward Minako, who was just staring out the window toward the airport, anxiously awaiting the plane, a smile still upon her face, though having left most of the happiness it once held when the plane was a mere five minutes late ariving. The waiting room was small, and the only people who would wait there were people who knew of the famous polotician of Japan. Makoto would once again bring herself to the counter, where a receptionist of the airport was sipping upon a small cup of coffee, her tired eyes viewing the monitor before her, her other hand typing slowly.

"Excuse me, miss?" The taller brunette knew the girl would only be able to tell her the same thing once again, but she couldn't help but ask once again. "How long would a plane be delayed like this?"

The tired eyes of the receptionist would once again fill with slight irritation, but soon mask over with politness, her hands briefly rubbing one of her eyes, as she brought her look from the screen before her, her pupils slightly diolated from looking upon it for so long.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but it's hard to say right now. With weather like this, it's common for planes to either land at another airport and wait for the storm to pass, or to get misdirected. I'm sure they'll be ariving shortly," the woman reassured her. Before Makoto could nod and turn, the receptionist picked up the ringing phone in front of her, holding a smile the person on the other end could not see.

Makoto turned her back, and started back toward the group, but paused as she heared worry suddenly fill the words of the receptionist. Turning her head slightly, she noticed a hand move to cover her face, as it lowered out of view, the girl's back suddenly turning as well. Makoto suddenly felt sick, and slightly light headed, as if she could sense what the very phone call made was about. Moving herself back to the counter, as if she could hear the very conversation, her hands gripped the counter as she waited, catching various questions asked by the receptionist.

When the woman hung the phone up, her tired eyes changed to that of pure sorrow, unable to truly look Makoto in the eyes. Worry suddenly filled over, as Makoto looked over her shoulders to the others, Mamoru seeming to already have sensed what was going on, Minako sitting next to a sleeping Usagi, who had her head in the girl's lap. Mamoru moved to step next to Makoto, his eyes serious as he asked the girl of the plane, knowing he would be getting a much different answer than what Makoto had just recieved.

-----

Mizuno Ami sat upon the uncomfortable chair in the waiting room of the hospital late Saturday night, adjusting the glasses upon her head, her fingers slipping another page over, her eyes turning to the new page as she awaited her mother to finish the last of her work. It was very rare for the girl's mother to actually get out of work early, let alone have the next two days off. With the weekend freeing them from work and school, the two had planned a nice and simple two days off from everything, and spend time with each other, something that also came rare to the two schedule-filled workaholics.

Ami was always ahead in her class, and if not, she was even further. A full time high honors, head of her class student, along with many classes involving preperations for the higher colleges out there, and studying for her difficult classes, it would be a surprise if this girl ever found time to sleep. Her mother's schedule was even worse. A full time doctor can barely find time to herself, let alone her own daughter. The two clashing schedules constantly were nearly shocked that they both had two days off to spend together, seeming like an entire week vacation. After finding that out, planning some time together was a must.

The blue haired genius tucked a bookmark into the place she last left, hearing the clicks of her mother's shoes coming her way. The quickening of the clips made it appear that she was either speed walking, or running. Her head tilted to the left, the corner of her eyes darting down the hall her mother should have been coming from. A blue haired, white coated blur rushed by her, her head moving along with the figure as it passed right by her down the hall in a flash. Curriousity getting the better of her, she packed her things in her book bag, and followed toward the shouting voices, and loud commands formed mostly from her mother.

Her feet brought her to the other end of the waiting room, to the doors her mother had just vanished, down a hallway she couldn't pass. Her ears sharpened, brows lowered slightly, recognizable sounds of panic filling her ears. Her toes tipping slightly, her eyes moved just above the small plastic viewing upon the double doors, visions of her mother shouting, pointing in various locations while paremedics brought numerous amounts of people in stretchers. The sounds of footsepts behind her instantly made her balance falter, as she moved her hand out upon the chair next to her to steady herself.

"Ami?" a voice called out to her. The blue haired girl spun around, greeted with the sight of Michiru and a crimson stained Haruka, both holding expressions the senshi of Mercury found rather disturbing.

"H-Haruka? What happened?" The girl could barely get the sentence out, the blood stains upon the short blonded girl's attire dragging up most of her attention. The two before her exchanged a complete conversation through changed expressions, before Michiru moved forward, Haruka's arms crossing, while her eyes moved toward the room Ami herself had been atempting to view. Ami knew she heard the words the senshi of water spoke, but her mind simply wouldn't comprehend exactly what she was saying. She understood her friend Rei Hino had taken a trip with her father for the weekend. She knew that they were on their way back tonight, and that Usagi and the others were all waiting for her at the airport.

Michiru was telling her something of a plane accident, and repeating the words of critical condition, but the connection between the two didn't seem to register in the geniuses mind. Confision expressed upon her face, she shook her head slightly, brows lowering slightly, feeling her hands start to shake.

"No, Rei wasn't on that plane. Everyone's picking her up at the airport right now, her plane didn't crash," she repeated, her shoulder rejecting the hand that was placed upon her shoulder as she turned away, hurrying herself to her communicator. "Rei's father has a private jet, and his own personal pilot. How could their plane have gone down?"

As she picked her book bag up and moved various things around, she ignored the comforting words of the elder senshi and the look of regret plastered upon the blonde. Statistics flew across her mind, chances of survival, and wether conditions all combining in a three second thought, before her fingertips would grasp the sides of her communicator, pulling it free from her bag.

"The weather isn't even that bad out, the chances of a plane going down in this weather are slim to none, let alone an experienced pilot, who I'm sure Rei's father would hire," she continued, her voice slightly shaking as she continued to press the button repeatedly, hearing the sounds of the comminucator ringing from the two fellow senshi in front of her.

"Come on, pick up," she whispered quietly, her head feeling slightly light headed, unable to keep her balance. She felt herself moved to a chair to sit, unknowingly helped by Michiru, as she continued to stare at the blank screen. She felt her lungs expelling air at a faster rate than her brain could register as the ringing continued for eternity, worry filling her face as her grip tightened upon the small device. She felt her hand reach through her hair nervously, as the communicator continued to call out to her fellow senshi.

"Ami?" An image appeared upon the screen, matching the voice of Aino Minako, her face filled with the expressions Ami wasn't prepared to see. "Ami, I know you're probably with your mom right now, but we're all heading to the hospital. We just got told that the plane had an accident and they were carrying everyone there." Ami saw the long blonde girl run a hand through her hair, her eyes moving beyond the communicator that seemed to be placed upon her wrist, worry filling her eyes.

"Nobody's telling us a damn thing here, so we're all going to meet up there," the voice replied. Even though the voice was carried through a device that enabled them to comminicate with each other from miles and miles away, she could hint the forced optimism in her voice, as she seemed to pull her attention away from the screen to others around her, the familiar words of reassurance suddenly leaving her mouth. Ami found it hard to swallow the lump that formed within her throat, her mouth completely dry, as her eyes looked pleadingly to the senshi before her. The eyes of Michiru were filled with sorrow and worry as they looked upon her own. As Ami's eyes shifted, Haruka forced her eyes away, fixated upon the doorway that lead to their very friend.

With a press of a button, Minako's face faded from the screen, Ami's grip upon the communicator suddenly gripping tighter, her eyes lowering to the floor. She couldn't bare to see the regretful look upon the tall blonde's face, nor the blood that stained her outfit, affraid to even ask who exactly it was, already knowing its source.

-----

She may have been a doctor who had saved many lives, but reviving the dead just seemed completely impossible. The blue-haired doctor rubbed the two electronic devices together refusing to give up, as she placed the cold metal upon the blue skin chest in front of her, shouting out the command for others to back away. With the push of a button, electricity ripped through the device into the chest of the crash victim, sending the small body lifting from the bed it was upon, its own head being thrown back from the force. As the green line upon the screen jumped, it faded into a flat line, never holding the beat of its own heart.

The doctor forced the two pieces of machinery together once again, rubbing them upon one another, before placing them back upon the cold chest, commanding others to clear away once again. Another bolt of electricity was forced into the body, making the line jump once again, before flat linning across the screen. Sweat formed upon the forehead of the doctor, her own breathing starting to quicken before her realization. Her eyes closed slightly, before opening once again to the dark screen before her that held the patient's own heartbeat. With a sigh of defeat, and after fifteen minutes of atempted revival, the doctor placed the two pieces aside, pulling slightly at her mask.

"Time of death, 1:37am," she recited, her eyes trailing away from the clock to the victim.

"She's so young," a nurse next to her said, shaking her head slightly. "They said they don't even know what happened to the plane."

Doctor Mizuno passed the clip board she had started to fill out to a nurse next to her, suddenly unable to keep herself within the closing walls of the room. With the other avaiable nurses able to fill out the paper work, she felt the sudden need to be with her daughter. The age between the girl she faught to keep alive and her own daughter closer than she had liked, all the while imagining her own daughter upon the bed, unable to bring her back. The doctor shook the disturbing images from her mind, as she pushed the doorway to the waiting room open, being greeted with a scene no mother was prepared to handle.

-----

Usagi felt her heart drop, the sudden feeling of sleep long left her, as her eyes met the large lit up cross sign of the hospital, Mamoru's car imediatly stopping at the front of the emergency entrance. He ordered the girl's to wait for him in the waiting room, before he sped off to park the car. The three girls ran into the hospital, Minako in the lead, as she nearly slammed herself into the front desk.

"Rei Hino!" she yelled out. The girl looked stunned at the blonde before her, unable to come up with an answer to the girl's sudden outburst. She tore her gaze away, typing the name into the computer, before she brought her eyes back up to the frantic girl before her.

"I'm sorry miss, there's no one by that name here," she started to say.

"That's impossible!" Makoto screamed from behind, slamming a palm upon the counter. "The airport just told us that she was brought-" The taller brunette was hushed by a raising hand of the senshi of love, the blonde's eyes serious as she looked back to the nurse.

"She was just brought in here recently in a plane accident," Minako replied, her voice much more forcefully calmed. The nurse nodded, picking up a phone next to her, dailing out. After a short three worded conversation, the nurse hung the phone up, pointing down the hall.

"They were just brought in now, if you wait in the room down the hall, a nurse should be in as soon as they have all been moved to intensive care," the nurse stated.

"Thank you," Minako quickly added before the two darted down the hall, the odago-hair styled Usagi pausing uncomfortably as she looked up to the nurse with a questioing gaze.

"If you see a man with black hair, about this high," she started, moving her hand up a bit, her words quickening faster than her brain could register thought. The nurse raised a knowing hand, nodding her head.

"I'll tell him you're just down that hallway, don't worry," she said, as she saw the blonde quickly bow in thanks, and hurry to catch up to her friends. The nurse shook her head slightly, letting a sigh escape her lips.

-----

As Michiru completed the story for Ami once again, this time with Ami listening tentivly, without a doubt, the blue haired girl suddenly found herself unable to think. For the first time as long as she could remember, she couldn't form any sort of thought or opinion of what Michiru had just informed her of. Looking down at her shaking hands that were forced to rest upon her legs, she leaned back in the chair she sat, blinking the tears away, slidding down her cheeks.

She was suddenly greeted by a crash of three teenage girls, all forcing themselves into an impossible fit through the doorway to the waiting room. All humor aside, the three held an equal look to Ami's own, Michiru suddenly feeling the need to express the story a third time. Rubbing her forehead slightly, looking to Haruka, she noticed her stare had been completely upon the doorway since they had arived, as if any second a nurse could come out with the news of their fellow senshi of fire.

As if on cue, a blue haired nurse tiredly came out, eyes searching for one form in particular. Before any questions could be asked, the nurse saught out the blue haired figure of Ami, and hugged her tightly, completely ignoring the world around her. As Ami felt her mother's grip, familiar scent and touch, she collapsed and sobbed into her mother's shoulder, her arms gripping tightly around her, burying her face to hide her shame.

The other's hopes sank at the doctor's sudden scene, Usagi gripping the hand of Minako, opening the embrace for her princess to cry in. The odango-hair styled blonde buried her own face into the shoulder of the leader of the inner senshi, Minako soothing the girl's worries by rubbing her head, and whispering soothing words into her ears. Makoto looked to the face of Michiru, then to that of Haruka, who had just seemed to rip her vision from the doorway to the strong senshi next to her. With everything that had happened to them, visions of the future, and the very proof of their destiny, no one had ever thought within a day it could have been ripped away from them in a battle none of them could fight except Rei Hino herself.

-----

**End II**

Author's Notes: Reasoning for the lateness of a chapter: My computer got a virus, and we had to completely wipe out the hardrive and everything. I nearly lost all my old stories, and music and everything I basically had on this computer, but I had some on a back up disk, plus on various websites so no worries there.

I know the story is starting out slow, but just bare with me here for a few more chapters, I promise there'll be some action with this story on the side, but not the "MAIN" part... and of course there will be some mystery involving the next chapter that will basically be the entire plot of the story... so review this chapter and let me know if I should continue or change anything now before I really get going on this book.


	3. Book 1 Part I III

**Escaping Fate**

**Book I**

**Part I**

**III**

The blue haired doctor held tightly onto her daughter, as the girl cried into her shoulder. After taking a deep breath, the mother finally pulled herself away, wiping the tears from her face. Looking over her shoulder, she was rather surprised to find the group of Ami's friends all gathered around. Fixing her composure, Dr. Mizuno placed the glasses she had removed from her eyes, placing them upon her head, looking through them to the group.

"What on Earth are you all doing here this late?" she asked, now standing next to Ami, who had her hand in her mother's. Ami blinked a moment, turning to her mother.

"Mom, Rei just arrived at the hospital, isn't that why you just came out now?" Ami choked, holding back tears. Ami's mother blinked a moment, her eyes slightly widening.

"Hino," the doctor gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. That's why the name sounded so familiar! The doctor immediately turned back through the doors, leaving the group in more question.

"What the hell was that about?" Haruka barked, irritation quickly filling her senses. Michiru soothed the girl into a forceful hug, which forced the blonde too look away, but not pull from the grasp. Before a minute was even up, the doctor rushed back into the room, seeming slightly winded.

"I'm sorry," she spat out quickly, rubbing her eyes, slightly bent over to catch her breath. "You must have thought..." she started, before shaking her head. "What I meant to say is that she's alright." The words filled the group with hope, though, when the doctor finally fixed her composure, it seemed there was still more the doctor had to say.

"She's stable for the time being," she started out, now addressing them in her doctor's tone. "They just took her out of surgery a little while ago, but we're unsure of if and when she'll wake up," she paused, looking to the large group of people, adding in the male that wasn't there a moment ago. "I think it would be easier on her if you all didn't go in at once."

-----

Usagi clutched to Mamoru arm, as she watched the green line across the screen spike upward, then downward accordingly as the heart of Rei Hino pumped blood in and out of her system. Many tubes were placed all throughout the small girl's body, her chest rising and falling only with the help of the oxygen machine placed next to her bed. Tears fell down the blonde's cheeks, as the odango hair styled girl moved cautiously towards the bed, leaving her boyfriend's grasp, as her thing fingers gripped the cold metal bars that made sure the girl would not fall from the bed. Her eyes outlined the girl's broken form, her face patched up, though still held a crimson red hue through the gauze. Her right eye was patched up, her hair messily thrown throughout the pillow. A tube was shoved down her throat, helping her breathe, several others running through both her arms, one pumping in the loss of blood, while the other sedated her in a relaxed state.

"Rei," the moon princess to be choked out through her tears, feeling a firm hand grip her shoulder for support. She felt the warm presence pull next to her, as she leaned into it. "Can she even hear me?"

Mamoru couldn't bring himself to look at the pleading eyes of his girlfriend, his focus purely upon the priestess before him. His brows lowered slightly, forcing his focus away from the broken girl towards Usagi, his expression softening some.

"She'll hear you," he lied, the various fluids he recognized would have the girl in a land where Usagi's voice could never reach. Usagi bent down, her head resting upon her finger tips that lay upon the metal bar, her eyes staring into the blank expression

"Hey Rei," she spoke softly, her head slightly tilting over her shoulder to Mamoru, who merely nodded to the girl's pleading expression.

"I'll just go get some coffee," he replied, as he turned to leave. Usagi's face turned back to the fire priestess just as her ears picked up the sound of the door closing.

"You really worried us there, Rei." Usagi paused, as she used the sleeve of her long sleeve shirt to wipe the tears from her eyes. Usagi moved her fingers to grasp the small frail hand of the young priestess. "We've been through a lot worse, Rei. That's why I know you'll pull through this. You can't let some accident be the end. We're supposed to be a team, Rei. Our destinies won't allow us to be separated. We're supposed to live in Crystal Tokyo, Rei. That's why you can't die, Rei. You can't die on me, not like this."

Tears fell unwillingly from the young moon princess, as she used her slightly damp sleeve to remove them from her cheeks. She placed the priestess' hand to her cheek, the coldness of the girl's fingers adding to her worry.

"You have to pull through this, Rei, you just have to."

-----

Mind sending out thoughts at a hundred thoughts per second, head throbbing as it tried to analyze each and every thought processed through the girl's brain. Her face scrunched together, through the pain in her head, her form slightly fidgeting under the heavy sheets that were placed over her. Her throat was dry, and itched like crazy, as the girl started to cough, reaching her hand out for anything to sooth her soar throat. She felt a hand instantly at the back of her head, lifting it slightly, as a plastic cup it seemed was brought to her lips. The cool sensation entered her lips, instantly moistening her much needed mouth, as she quickly gulped down the water she was given. Her breathing quickened, as the cup was emptied, her body yearning for more. She let out a final cough, before she felt herself placed back down onto the soft pillow her head was rested upon.

"Glad to see you're awake," came a rough feminine voice from across the room, a voice next to her then making itself known.

"We were all worried about you, Rei," said the much softer of the two, feeling her hand slightly grasped, her mind unable to differentiate just who the voices belonged to. Her mind told her the voices were familiar, but she just couldn't detect just who they were. Her mind fought to open her eyes, her eyelids twitching slightly, as the bright light from above her shot through her throbbing head like a knife through butter. Her head turned instantly to its side, avoiding the bright light from above.

"Aww, Haruka, can you turn the lights down a bit?" came the soft voice again, feeling the weight next to her shift, as if pointing to something, or grabbing something next to her. She felt the light around her dim, as she once again tried to open her dry eyes. The figure next to her held aqua colored hair, with soft deep sea blue eyes filled with concern, as she felt the smallest amount of pressure within the grasp of the older woman.

"Welcome back," she said quietly, smiling slightly, as she turned to face the blonde that walked over, pulling up a chair next to her. Confusion hit the girl's senses suddenly, aware she had awaken in a hospital. Her mind was suddenly racing, though she pushed all thoughts aside, as she tried to focus all her attention upon the two in the room. Michiru and Haruka noticed the girl's sudden tension, and quickly searched for something to converse about.

"Your grandfather was here earlier," Michiru spoke, breaking the sudden full minute of silence. "He actually just left a half hour ago." Rei instantly looked up at the time, which read a rather early hour. Her head swayed slightly, as her eyes blinked. Her senses told her another had entered the room, though her eyes protested just where the door was.

"Rei, you're awake," came a soft voice. A blue haired girl had just entered the room, Rei's senses picking up just who it was without having to look. Who else would be at a hospital at this hour?

"Ami, you're still here?" Haruka asked, an eyebrow raised slightly, as she observed the blue haired genius over her shoulder, her hands hung loosely over the backward chair she had been sitting in, leaning her head in her arms as the nurse-to-be came up to the bed.

"I wanted to make sure my mom took care of Rei," she replied, her voice filled with the same worry she had felt from the outer senshi. The back of the girl's hand was against her forehead, acting as a nurse, as she started to observe the many machines the senshi of fire was hooked up to.

"I feel weird," Rei stated suddenly, unable to focus her eyes on anything, as her brain told her to sit up. Though her mind told her one thing, her body processed another, her had gripping the sheets lightly, her head turning to face the girl, eyes filled with confusion.

"That's the medication, Rei," she said with slight hesitation, hoping the girl wouldn't catch it. If anything, Rei's expression started to fill with worry, turning quickly to the other two in the room.

"Relax, Rei, its only for the pain," Ami replied. "My mom didn't want you to wake up in any sort of pain."

Rei relaxed slightly, as she shifted under the heavy sheets. Her mind was filled with fog, confused on what actually had brought her hear. She remembered bits and pieces, though she knew someone in the room would be able to fill her in on what actually happened. Confused hues looked toward Ami, who was currently studying her vital signs.

"So what happened? Did I get too banged up in another battle?" Rei asked with rye humor, letting a cough escape her dry throat. She sensed everyone tense at her words, her half smile soon leaving as she felt more confusion filling the air around her, choking the very air from her lungs.

"Rei…" Ami started, turning to the others, unable to finish as tears started to form from her eyes.

"You were in a plane accident on your way home from your trip with your dad," Haruka replied, Rei's eyes studying the serious look upon her face. "Michiru and I were just on our way home from a concert when we noticed something crashing into the forest. We thought it might have been a Youma attack, or something, so we went to investigate."

Rei's mind replayed what had happened that night. She remembered packing her things from her trip, waiting for her father to call her down. She remembered getting into the limo, and having to go through the back because the paparazzi had completely filled the front entrance, due to her father's presence. She remembered her father attempting to flirt with a flight attendant just as the plane started to take off. She then remembered the turbulence the plane started to go through, and the drunken look upon most of the passengers of the private jet.

Images flashed through her mind suddenly. She remembered waking up in the forest they spoke of, with some of the passengers. She wasn't able to find her father, or the plane. She remembered leading the five passengers with her to find the plane, and find her father. More images flashed, something dark preventing them from their journey back to the plane. She shook her head slightly, as she tried to clear out the blank spot in her memory, her eyes clenching shut. She remembered transforming into Sailor Mars, but she couldn't remember why. Maybe Haruka was right, maybe there was a Youma attack. Maybe, somehow, a Youma attacked the plane, and when it crashed, attacked the survivors. Rei's eyes opened, as they focused upon Haruka first.

"How did you find us so far away from the plane?" she asked, vividly remembering the long walk she had endured. Haruka blinked slightly, confusion hitting her slightly, as she looked from Rei to Michiru, then back to Rei.

"Find you far away? What do you mean? We found you in the plane," Haruka corrected, standing up suddenly. Rei shook her head, her brows lowering.

"In the plane? But I remember waking up outside the plane, with five passengers of the plane. I remember we were trying to find the plane, because I couldn't find my dad," she replied. Rei noticed Haruka's eyes then shift toward Ami, whose view was hidden by her hair. "What?"

"Rei," Ami started, as she started to face the girl. "You, your father, and three other people were the only ones to survive the crash. There were only four survivors, not six." Rei shook her head again, her breathing quickening.

"But," she started, her mind already loosing the tight grip it held upon her memory. "I remember transforming."

"You transformed?" Ami asked, as she turned to face both Haruka and Michiru, who were the only ones at the scene.

"Yea. I don't remember why, but something was preventing us from reaching the plane. I think a Youma attacked the plane, and when we crashed, tried to take out the survivors. I remember transforming, but after that, I can't remember."

The room was filled with silence, as Ami held a pleading gaze toward both Michiru and Haruka, who both exchanged glances with one another. Michiru placed a warm hand upon the girl's forehead.

"Don't worry yourself with such thoughts, Rei. You just work on getting better, alright? You've been through a lot the past few days," she said with a warm smile. Though confused, Rei started to feel the effects of the medication Ami had spoke of, her lids protesting what she ordered, as they started to fall from the girl's command. "Just rest, okay? We can talk this all out later."

-----

"So what do you make of it?" Haruka asked, pulling her gaze from the window toward Michiru, both of who had exited the room with Ami to let Rei get her sleep. Ami placed a hand upon her forehead, rubbing it slightly.

"It's most likely the medication. My mom gave her a high milligram dosage. She was in serious condition when she came in, and I was fearing she would awaken in pain," Ami started, as she shook her head lightly. "She's just confusing her memories, that's all."

"Are you going to be here all night?" Haruka then asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Ami shook her head.

"I've got school tomorrow, and I can't miss that. I'm waiting for my mom to finish up some paper work, then she can give me a ride home," Ami replied, with a wavering hand in front of her. Haruka shook her head, turning her eyes away.

"Your mom has been through a lot as well, Ami. I can give you a ride home," Haruka then stated, turning to leave. "Grab your things, and tell your mom. We don't want you being late for school due to lack of sleep."

-----

Author's Notes: Sorry for the short chapter, but I don't want to put the next part in here, since that's all going to be placed into the next chapter. Sorry it also took so long to get this chapter out, but I had to completely restart another book I'm writing, but don't worry. I tend on updating all of them in order, so keep looking back. I'll have a new chapter up soon. Don't forget to review.


	4. Book 1 Part I IV

**Escaping Fate**

**Book I**

**Part I**

**IV**

Author's Notes: Just to clarify a few things, I'm going to list the names of all the characters:

Last Name, First Name – Planet – English Name

Mizuno Ami – Sailor Mercury – Amy Something?

Aino Minako – Sailor Venus – Mina?

Tsukino Usagi – Sailor Moon – Serena Something?

Hino Rei – Sailor Mars – Ray?

Kino Makoto – Sailor Jupiter – I don't know

Tomoe Hotaru – Sailor Saturn – Hotaru

Teno Haruka – Sailor Uranus – I have no idea

Kaioh Michiru – Sailor Neptune – I have no idea

Meioh Setsuna – Sailor Pluto – I have no idea

Chiba Mamoru – Prince of Earth – Darien Shields?

As you can see, I actually don't know the English names that much any more since I converted to Japanese names, but I hope the different planets help more. You shouldn't have a problem with the characters now, as long as you know which character goes to which planet. Now with the story.

-----

"Supreme Thunder Dragon!" a shout came within the tree-made walls of the forest filled park. Sparks of blue and white in the shape of a dragon circled around the black skinned Youma, as its voice cracked in pain. The bolts of lightning surrounded the creature, bringing it to a stand still in its destructive rampage. The green skirted Sailor Jupiter extended her hands for yet another attack, as the blonde bombshell, Sailor Venus stood at her side, her own arm extended, pointing directly toward the creature.

"Crescent Beam!" Venus shouted.

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter cried out.

The yellow energy beam shot out from the finger tips of Sailor Venus erupted with bolts of electricity surrounding it, aiming directly for the frozen Youma. The black creature seemed to simply faze out of the dazed state it appeared to be in, an explosion of planetary energy erupting through two trees behind it. The creature then appeared directly in front of its two attackers, surprising both. A bony knee landed in the mid section of a confused Sailor Venus, while Sailor Jupiter blocked a fist aimed to take out her skull. Her forearm stung from the impact of the punch, bringing her leg back to keep her balance. As the creature moved forward, that back leg then raised into the creature's own midsection, staggering it back a few feet.

"Moon Tiara Action!" came a cry from across the field. A bright white light was then thrown from a figure's grasp, once again aiming for the lone black armored warrior. The creature fazed into the sky, moving so fast the senshi could barely see. A smirk was plastered onto the creature's face, but was short lived, as he noticed the spinning white disk had stopped its course, and taken anew. With the current leap sending him now downward, and straight for the disk, it let out a heart filled war cry, as it tore into it's flesh, burning right through, it's hands and legs starting to turn to complete ash. Before it could even land, the wind took away all evidence of the creature, ash and dust dancing along the night's wind. Sailor Moon waved an arm, as she ran over to her two fellow senshi, with a blue attired Sailor Mercury tagging along behind her.

"About time you showed up, Sailor Moon," Jupiter gasped in between breathes, with her hands on her knees. "We called you two over an hour ago. We had to take on two of them on our own."

"Well, on our way here, we met up with a problem of our own," Mercury then stated, holding her right shoulder with her left hand, which refrained itself from moving. Jupiter regained her composure before continuing.

"Damn," she stated with a clenched fist. "I thought we finished all these guys months ago, but they just keep appearing one after another."

"Oh don't worry," Venus retorted with a smirk. "It's just the leftovers, nothing to worry about, right Ami?"

"Right," Ami stated, referring back to their previous battle that nearly took half of Tokyo with it. "But we usually only spot one or two. To spot more than that in a group is something to take into consideration."

"What do you mean?" Sailor Moon asked, scratching the back of her head.

"Well, if they start forming a group, it's something to worry about, Usagi," Jupiter interrupted with a hand on her hip.

"Yes. Since they are now starting to appear in groups, it is something to worry about," Ami added in, turning to the larger of the four.

"Maybe we should up our training," Jupiter grinned, nudging the future princess next to her as she sighed dramatically. "Don't worry, Usagi. It won't be all that bad."

-----

-----

A ruffled sound next to her made Rei stir in her sleep, her groggy senses flaring of some other presence in the room with her. Instinct taking over, the girl threw the sheets from herself, her head turning to her right, where a groggy pair of odangos were currently devouring a powdered donut. Bright blue eyes looked up most innocently, though looking as if she had gotten caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Rei blinked a moment, looking about the room in a confused state.

"Hey, Rei," a full mouth Usagi responded the awakened priestess, taking a sip from the bottle of milk she had received from the lunchroom earlier. As Rei knew, it was impossible to escape the wrath of a worried Usagi, the future princess of Crystal Tokyo gathering the girl up in a bear hug, with streams of tears falling down her cheeks. Rei rolled her eyes, returning the hug. "It's good to see you awake."

"It's good to be awake," the fire priestess responded, brushing a loose strand of hair from her eyes, tucking it behind her ear. Her violet orbs searched around the room a bit, picking up the scent of the many flowers that had been sent to her since her recent stay. "It's a little intoxicating in here."

Usagi blinked a moment, as if a question mark had appeared over her head. She then threw on a witty grin, throwing an arm behind her head, as another pointed to the flowers.

"Yea, everyone's been really worried about you, Rei," Usagi hesitated a moment, as if she were going to ask a question, but bit her lip instead, her eyes trailing from the raven dark haired girl before her, sheepishly chewing on the remains of the powdered donut sitting on a paper plate on her lap. Rei tilted her head, as she observed the blonde.

"And why aren't you at school?" Rei smirked, crossing her arms over her chest, as she leaned back to relax. Her smirk increased the moment she heard the blonde stutter.

"I uh… well, you see… I was worried about you, Rei," the blonde said, her eyes never rising from the now powdery plate upon her lap. Her ears caught the chuckle of the priestess, who went on with her constant teasing.

"I think you just needed an excuse to ditch school, am I right?" Rei joked with a grin, nudging the girl with her elbow. Usagi blinked innocently, throwing her arms up in defense.

"No! It's not like that, Rei," the blonde started, her eyes finally rising to Rei's own, the priestess shocked to find them filled with moisture, Usagi fighting back the urging tears that had started to form.

"Hey," Rei cooed, as Usagi already started to move in for another hug, rubbing her back and hair soothingly. "What's the matter, Usagi?" Rei asked, filled with concern of her own. Usagi sniffled slightly, never pulling from the girl's grasp.

"I felt it," Usagi blurted out through her crying, resting her head upon the priestess' shoulder. "I felt you, Rei."

"What do you mean?" Rei asked, confusion hitting her face. Usagi pulled herself from the girl's hug, staring her directly into her violet orbs, holding the most serious face she had ever seen her future princess wear.

"I felt you die, Rei!" she cried out, taking a moment to gaze into the girl's eyes. She then collapsed into a hug again, pulling onto the girl as if she were to disappear.

"You…" Rei started, dumbfounded by the girl's sudden outburst.

"It was horrible, Rei," she then continued, resting her head once again on the girl's shoulder. "I was out with Mamo-chan, we were at the park. I was just walking along, when I felt something in my chest. It felt as if it would explode. I didn't know what it was. I was having trouble breathing, and couldn't even continue to walk. Mamo-chan wanted to bring me to the hospital, and when he said that, I knew something was wrong. Not with me, but with someone else. That's when it happened."

Rei gulped slightly, her heart monitor racing with anticipation, the beeping sounds of it not quite enough to raise alert.

"I felt your powers, Rei," she cried out, as she gripped her arms tightly around the princess of Mars. "I felt as if they were sucked out of you, and placed into me. I thought… I thought…"

She then continued to cry into the girl's shoulder, uncontrollable sobs discontinuing any more attempts of conversation, as Rei continued to sooth the girl by rubbing her back, and humming softly into her ear.

"It's okay, bunny," she cooed, running her hand through the girl's long blonde hair. "I'm not going anywhere, Usagi."

"But I felt you die, Rei, it was so painful," she cried out, never letting go of the girl. "It was too painful."

-----

Rei held her chin in her palm, leaning upon her risen knee, flipping channel through channel, finding nothing of interest. Her eyes then trailed over to the form next to her, half resting herself on her bed. Usagi had cried for so long, the exhaustion had brought her much needed sleep, though the words she had spoken were still plaguing the girl's mind. 'I felt you die, Rei.'

"Rei?" came a soft childish voice from the doorway. The raven-haired girl turned to the entrance, a smile upon her face.

"Hotaru," she said softly, as the dark haired girl smiled back, clad in her normal black attire; a long sleeve black turtle neck shit, dark violet skirt, with black skinned tights around her legs, leading down to her plain black shoes. The girl bowed her head respectfully, keeping her voice down as she noted the sleeping blonde next to Rei. The fire priestess patted the seat to her left, as the girl walked slowly over.

"How are Haruka and Michiru?" Rei asked, breaking the silence between them. Hotaru looked up from the floor, as her feet dangled from the seat.

"Their fine. Haruka-papa said I could stop by after school got out," she said, though bit her lip slightly, avoiding the girl's eyes. Rei's eyebrow twitched, as her own violet orbs met the clock, reading only near noon. She smirked slightly, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Looks like you're not the only one playing hooky today," she grinned, nodding her head to the slightly snoring form of Usagi. Hotaru smiled, looking up to Rei. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks, Rei," she said, turning herself to fully face the girl. "How are you doing?" the senshi of death and rebirth asked, her brows lowering slightly. Rei shook her head, however, dismissing the worried look Hotaru possessed.

"Nothing short of hellfire and brimstone can keep me down, Hotaru," she grinned, patting her chest with her fist rather childishly. The small girl giggled again, smiling up at Rei. "Just another test today, and I should get a clean bill of health. They say I can go back to school in a week."

"You want me to help you with the process?" Hotaru asked, referring to her special abilities. Rei shook her head, raising a hand.

"I wouldn't want you to waste your abilities on something that will only be rid of with plenty of water and rest," Rei replied with a wavering hand, leaning back against her pillow, handing the girl the remote she had been fooling with since the blonde had fallen asleep. "Try to find something, Hotaru."

-----

A knock on the door awakened the girl from her dazed state, as her attention was brought back to the romantics of the local station's current drama shows. Usagi and Hotaru had long since left, as the girl now expected her grandfather, or the rest of her friends to show up within the hour. Since the pairings leaving, however, poor Rei was reduced to the local station's soap operas, never understanding how their ratings continued to rise. As the wife accused the husband of cheating on her for her best friend for the countless time, Rei lifted the remote to mute the television, her eyes trailing over toward the door of a shadowed silhouette she could not recognize. As if sensing the girl's approval, a man entered that stood the height of Mamoru, but a little on the scrawnier side. With a formal attire, the man bowed in front of the priestess, Rei nodding her head in respect, then pulled from within his coat a badge of some authority type.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you, Miss Hino," the man spoke in a deep voice, as he flipped the badge back into his inner coat pocket. "My name is Hitachi Kowanami, of Kawasaki Insurance Company. I represent your father's company, and I just wanted to ask you a few questions about the plane incident a few days ago, if you don't mind."

Rei's mind urged a protest, but the politeness she had received from her mother's side of the family would intervene, as she shook her head, pulling herself to a sitting position.

"No, not at all," she replied, pulling the sheets down to her waist. The man poured the senshi a fresh glass of water, as he sat next to her, a briefcase placed upon his lap. As he clipped it open, he pulled out a notepad that just so happened to already be opened to a particular page, the man pulling a pen from his coat, jotting down a few notes before he spoke.

"Well then, let's just start out with what you remember, Miss Hino," he replied, as his eyes went from his pad toward the girl's dark violet orbs. Rei's mind played back the painful memory, deciphering fiction from reality, as her eyes closed, picturing what her heart begged her not to remember. She shook her head slightly, turning her vision out the window.

"I don't remember much at all, really," Rei lied, knowing good her memories of that tragic night was jumbled and confused within the walls of her own mind. The man then spoke again.

"I know it may be hard for you to remember, Miss Hino," he started out kindly, before continuing on. "But for insurance reasons, we must ask everyone what they remember, and try to piece together what happened. Some people have replied that there was alcohol served on the plane, and that one of the pilots may have been under the influence. Do you recall anything of the sort?"

"Well," Rei started, her vision falling to the floor below. "I remember some of the passengers were drinking wine."

"Good," the man said, as he started to scratch away at his note pad. "Do you remember where you were sitting?"

"Mm hm," Rei nodded, biting her bottom lip as she slightly clenched the sheets. "I was sitting next to my father, the fourth row back."

"And where was everyone seated?" the man asked, continuing to write.

"A few of my father's lawyers were sitting at the front. His secretary was sitting in front of us, I think her name was Keishi Kuromatsu," Rei hesitated over the name, remembering the book she had received from the polite woman.

"Ah yes, Miss Kuromatsu. She's the next one on my list," he replied, flipping back a page, as if analyzing her entire life on one simple piece of paper. Rei suddenly felt uncomfortable, rubbing her eyes with her palm, letting out a yawn. The man didn't seem to take notice, as he continued on with his questioning. "What happened after take off?"

"I," Rei stuttered slightly, clearing her throat with a cough. "I was reading a book Miss Kuromatsu had bought me…"

"She bought you?" the man looked up from his pad with a questioning gaze, completely interrupting the girl's story. Rei looked puzzled for a moment, shrugging her shoulders.

"We got to know each other a little bit during the trip," she shrugged, taking her eyes from the man quicker than she had looked. "We were talking about a book I was reading for school that I enjoyed, and she recommended a book by the same author."

"She bought you a book by the same author," the man replied, quickly flipping a page and jotting down some notes. Rei blinked, her eyebrows suddenly lowering, her defenses erupting like a ki flare.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Rei suddenly barked, a frown appearing on her features. The man placed his hands up in defense.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I didn't think the book meant that much to you," he continued, as he wrote down some more notes.

"The book doesn't, your constant questioning does," Rei replied, as she hit the button next to her, signaling a nurse into her room. "If you don't mind, sir, I would like it if you were to leave right now."

"Miss Hino," he started, standing up from his seat, his arms raising in apology. "I meant no disrespect, but as an insurance agent, it does sound suspicious for a secretary to buy a gift for a politician's underage daughter."

"Maybe it was just an act of kindness, something you evidentially lack," Rei yelled, pressing the button again. Damn it! Never a nurse around when you need one.

"Miss Hino, in order for your father to avoid any lawsuits I must finish this story," the man's harsh tone replied. Rei's suspicions rose of this man, her breathing quickening as she started jamming down on the button.

"What story?" came a deep voice from the doorway. The pleading eyes of Rei Hino would match the future prince of Earth's own, Mamoru's glare fixated upon the man standing over the fire senshi. Hitachi looked over his shoulder to the man, fixating his own narrowing eyes upon him. "Watanabe?"

"Chiba." The words rolled off his tongue like a child spitting out their first attempts at eating raw vegetables, disgust evident in the tone in his voice.

"Find your story elsewhere, Watanabe!" Mamoru ordered, as he walked protectively toward Rei, standing directly in between them. The man grinned, his eyes narrowing down to the fire senshi.

"Maybe we can finish this conversation more privately, Miss Hino," he replied with a devilish grin, closing his briefcase as he left. Rei sighed in relief, leaning back against her pillows, staring up at the ceiling.

"Watanabe?" Rei asked curiously, turning her vision to look up to the dark haired man next to her. "He said his name was Hitachi Kowanami, of Kawasaki Insurance Company."

"No," Mamoru replied, shaking his head. "His name's Hitachi Watanabe. He's a news reporter. I've run into him a few times before in the past."

"So," Rei replied, rubbing her head slightly, searching for a new subject to speak of.

"I saw your grandfather a little while ago," Mamoru said, catching the hint. "I saw him leaving just as I was coming in."

"That was over an hour ago," Rei questioned, looking up to the clock. Mamoru smiled, taking a seat next to the senshi, handing her a set of 'get well' flowers with a confident smirk.

"Well, I bumped into Ami, and we thought it'd be nice to get our fire senshi a get well gift," Mamoru smirked, as Rei took the flowers. She held a smirk of her own, sniffing the flowers.

"Their very nice," she said with sarcasm, handing them back to Mamoru. "You couldn't get a vase to go with them?"

"Always so demanding, aren't we Rei?" Mamoru joked, standing up in search for a vase.

"I think there's one in the…" she started to point out, as a nurse ran in suddenly, surprising the two.

"Miss Hino!" she yelled, running over. "Are you alright?"

"What?" Rei asked at the sudden outburst. Her memory sparked, as she frowned slightly. "Yea, what's with letting a journalist my room?"

"Journalist?" she asked, scratching the back of her head. "The only visitors I allowed were the ones on the list, your family, and your father's defense lawyer."

Rei sighed, smacking her face with her hand. Mamoru rubbed the side of his head, as he turned to the nurse.

"That man wasn't a lawyer, he was a journalist," he replied, lifting the flowers. "Got anything I can put these in?"

-----

Rei sighed, staring up at the ceiling above her, her eyes wide open, violet orbs cracked with red lines, showing her lack of sleep as of late. Though she dare not show it in front of anyone, she truly was scared. Usagi's words echoed through the back of her mind, like the lyrics of a song you can never get out of your head, and can't help but sing or hum. She rolled onto her side, staring out the window to the city below, darkness surrounding the Tokyo skylines, and its very own Tower. Her eyes trailed up to the needle sticking out of her arm, as well as the empty bag of liquid that had just recently finished draining into her body, supposedly bringing her sleep. Sleep was the last thing she wanted.

Her head shook slightly, pushing herself to sit up. Any minute, the nurse would be back in, pull the needle out of her arm, and tell her good night. This had been the routine for the past three days, ever since she had awakened, though when she fell asleep, she knew good and well what would be awaiting her. Her eyes closed for merely a moment, though the flashes in front of her eyes lasted an eternity. The cracking sounds of the engines failing, thunderous sounds of lighting striking the wing, the heat of flames surrounding herself was just too much to bear. Her eyes shot open, her breathing unknowingly racing along with her heart rate, the worrying bringing sweat to her moist forehead. Using the sleeve of her long sleeve gown, she wiped away her forehead slightly, bringing her knees to her chest.

As if on cue, the nurse came in with a smile, walking over to the fire priestess, as she went to pull the needle out. She put a piece of gauze upon the girl's arm, pulling the needle out, and taping the gauze to the exposed wound, as it quickly let its crimson red liquid out. Rei kept pressure on her arm, her eyes never leaving her bed sheets.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep tonight, Miss Hino," the nurse pleaded, remembering the girl's awakening shouts from the past few nights. "Tomorrow I'll talk to the doctor to see if we can up your dosage a bit. I've noticed you haven't been sleeping much lately."

Rei merely shrugged her shoulders, resting her head on her knees. As the nurse left, she was once again surrounded by darkness, the very same that surrounded her in the plane. Her eyes went to shut, but she quickly put a stop to that, remembering the flashing images that would soon follow. Shaking her head in frustration, Rei removed the sheets from her grasp, swinging her legs off the bed. She had been caught a few times trying to supposedly 'escape' treatments, or simply go for a walk. She nearly had it to a point where she could get out and back without ever being noticed by now, and this had just been the perfect opportunity. She was the last patient on that nurse's list before she would be leaving for the night, and the third shift would come in, giving her time to roam about in slight freedom. Maybe stop by the cafeteria, open for only one more hour, possibly the vending machine, some much needed sugar, or simply stroll about until her legs gave in.

Her mind wondered, as she snuck easily out from her room, her bare feet stinging against the cold tile flooring. She was scolded for walking around barefoot, though she refused to wear the paper-made slippers the nurses provided for her. A hand removed a strand of hair that fell in front of her eyes from her vision, as she tried to clear her thoughts. The dimly lit hallway suited her much better than her dark room, though the blurry vision that started to erupt sent worry to the back of her mind. She rubbed her eyes slightly, as she looked down the hall again. Walls started to twist slightly, as if bending to form its own. Balance nearly thrown, Rei reached out for the wall, as her mind yearned for the reality of the picture before her.

Shaking her head lightly, her walk would take her ears to be filled with the soft cries of life, her hand upon the wall finally reaching glass, her eyes moving down to the special care nursery, currently filled with little ones. As Rei's eyes turned to them, the murmurs of voices filled the back of her mind. Her eyes then trailed up to a swirled picture of figures she hadn't seen before. Under the only working light, three figures stood watching the nursery, dressed in what appeared as white lab coats of some sort. The walls surrounded them continued to twist and bend, bringing more disorientation to the senshi of Mars. Rei then let out a pleading hand.

"Excuse me," she cried, leaning slightly against the glass as she walked over. As her vision slightly cleared moving closer, before her in the light stood two women with blacker hair than her own, along with a man, white aged hair, but no aged face. The man looked over, though the two women did not. "Could you help me please?"

One of the women turned to her, then looked around, as if the girl were speaking to someone else. She whispered something to the man, who simply rose a hand to the girl, walking over to Rei. An interjecting hand would reach out to the man, grasping his arm, though he pulled it off.

"We're not supposed to interfere," Rei's ears caught a murmur, though her current blurred vision was more of a priority, already forgetting her route back to her room. The man came over to Rei, taking her hands in his own. They felt warm to the touch, making Rei sigh slightly.

"Are you lost child?" the man asked Rei, looking into her eyes. As Rei looked into his own, she felt a sudden chill, as if the man was staring directly into her mind, her soul, her past, everything. Her breathing quickened, nearly pulled her hand from his grasp. Reality started to fade, as the walls twisted and turned once again. The light above them flickered, their images nothing more than a hallucination. The hallway remained as dimly lit as it was before, Rei pulling her vision toward the children in the nursery. Shaking her head, a feeling of utopia hit her as she collapsed onto the floor.

-----

Author's Notes: Sorry about the long delay on getting this chapter out. I wanted to make sure I had everything in there before I updated, and I think it's good now. Hope I clarified some things that you may have missed last chapter, or anything you didn't get simply. Thanks for the reviews, and I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!

Ja ne


	5. Book 1 Part I V

**Escaping Fate**

**Book I**

**Part I**

**V**

"Alright, I'll be right down," came the voice of Dr. Mizuno as she hung up the receiver of her telephone. Ami couldn't help but raise her eyes in curiosity to the tone in her mother's voice.

"Mom," the blue haired genius spoke up suddenly, after her mother was through with the conversation. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing dear," she assured her daughter, as she stood up from her current seat upon the couch, placing a marking in her book. "I just got called into work, that's all."

"Mom," came the curious voice again, stopping the doctor from leaving the room. Ami placed her own book down upon the table next to her, turning to face her mother as she stood. "Nothing's wrong with Rei, is there?"

The doctor fixed herself before turning to face her daughter. She placed her hands firmly upon Ami's shoulders, her voice calm and comforting.

"I assure you that nothing is wrong," Ami's mother confirmed. "Rei just tried going for a walk after her sleeping medication was administered. She's fine, but they just want someone to make sure she's alright."

The doctor hugged her daughter, and placed a kiss on her forehead. With that, she pulled away and got ready for work. Ami stood there a moment in the room, her eyes trailing out to the dark night sky. She hoped Rei was alright.

-

"Come on, Usako," came the voice ahead of the blonde haired future princess, just a few steps ahead of her. A walk in the park had been her idea, the cold itched at her skin, but the fresh air she breathed was more than welcomed. She smiled innocently, as she skipped herself forward, easily catching up with her knight in shinning armor.

"I'm right here, Mamo-chan!" she sprang forward, smiling brightly. Mamoru smirked, placing a hand over the girl's shoulder.

"I swear, Usako," Mamoru started with slight sarcasm. "One day, I'm going to loose you to this park."

"Oh Mamo-chan," Usagi teased, as she poked his side playfully. Mamoru laughed, as the pathway took them toward the river bank, the slight wind picking up current, sending waves crashing against the sides. Usagi shivered, as she moved herself toward the river, placing her hands upon the chain linked fence. With a hand about her waist now, Mamoru followed, looking outward toward the horizon.

"You chose a cold night for a walk in the park," Mamoru spoke softly, as Usagi curled against his body for warmth.

"I know," Usagi replied, as she leaned her head against the man's chest. "I just really like it here."

"I know," Mamoru nodded his head as he held the girl he loved. He felt her tense suddenly, then shiver. "Usagi? Are you cold?"

Usagi's eyes widened, as every muscle in her body tensed. Her mouth parted, as she held her breath, unable to shake the feeling that suddenly emerged from seemingly nowhere. A sharp pain within her chest developed, as her hand reached for it, letting out a low grunt. Her legs felt like rubber, and were it not for Mamoru's reflexes, she would have fallen on the ground.

"Usako?" Mamoru's voice asked, filled with worry, as he turned the girl to face him, leaning her weight upon him. "What's wrong?"

"My chest," she replied, as tears started to form from the pain, slowly sliding down her cheeks. "It hurts."

Mamoru looked the girl over, unable to find the source of the problem. Quickly taking his jacket off, he wrapped it around the girl's shoulders, walking her to a bench to sit. In the amount of time it took him to do this, Usagi's breathing had become quick and short, her forehead slowly moistening even though the temperature was well enough to keep her cool. She let out a few whimpers, as she clenched tightly to Mamoru, who hadn't the slightest idea what was wrong with her.

"Usagi," he whispered, as he rubbed the back of her head, worry written all over his face. The girl sobbed a moment longer, until he felt the girl completely freeze all over within his grasp. "Usako? What is it?"

"Its…" she started out, her voice barely a whisper, her throat dry, making her voice crack slightly. "Rei."

"Rei?" Mamoru was barely able to catch the name, with Usagi's voice so quiet. "What's wrong with Rei?"

"She's dead!"

-

Usagi lifted the heavy blankets from her, her voice carrying what her mind pleaded to not be true. Her breathing was quick, as a hand reached up to her forehead, wiping the beads of sweat that had formed. The black feline that had been upon her lap, attempting to wake the girl from her nightmare jumped from her lap, setting herself up into a sitting position on the mattress next to the moon princess. Before the feline could speak, however, Ikuko Tsukino opened the door swiftly, rushing to her daughter's side.

"Usagi!" she exclaimed, placing her hands upon the girl's shaken shoulders, tilting her head to the side as to look her daughter in the eyes. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

A mother's worry seemed to shake Usagi from her dazed state, as her breathing calmed slightly, leaning into her mother. Ikuko took a seat upon the bed, allowing the blonde to place her head upon her shoulders, rubbing her head and back. As Usagi sobbed into her mother's embrace, Ikuko hummed a tune she used to sing to her when she was a child, hoping it would work. Usagi calmed down some more, sniffling the final tears from her eyes, as she wiped them away with her sleeve. Pulling her head from her mother's shoulder, she gazed up into her eyes.

"Another nightmare, hun?" Usagi nodded her head, as she rested her head back, lying back down on the bed. The dark blue haired woman tucked her daughter in, placing a kiss upon the girl's forehead. "I'm going to make an appointment for you tomorrow, Usagi. You've been through a lot in your life, and I think that you should talk to someone about it. I know you have your friends, but I'd feel better if you'd talk to a professional."

Usagi nodded, as she took in a deep breath. Ikuko kissed the girl's forehead one more time, before rising from the bed.

"Mom," came Usagi's voice again, her mother quickly turning to face her with a questioning gaze. "I love you."

"I love you too, honey," she replied with a warm smile, then turned to leave. As the door shut, Usagi's cat Luna moved up to the head board of the bed, leaning against one of the girl's pillows as she lied herself down.

"Usagi," the cat spoke quietly, barely a whisper, as she kept her eyes toward the door. "Are you alright?"

"Yea Luna," Usagi nodded, resting her wrist upon her forehead, letting another sigh escape her lips, bringing her bright blue orbs toward the window. "It was just a dream."

"Was it the same dream?" Luna's curiosity got the better of her, as she rested her head on her paws.

"Yea," Usagi replied. "It felt so real."

"It's only a memory, Usagi," Luna stated. "In time, dreams pass."

"I don't know, Luna," Usagi's voice broke after a moment of silence. "I mean, I felt her die."

"Usagi," Luna spoke. "You are attached to your friends. What they feel, you feel and visa versa. Rei went through a traumatic experience. What went through her mind during the accident may have relayed into your own mind."

Usagi lay in her bed, her mind replaying the events that had occurred. The feeling, it was not simply a thought of Rei's. She had felt her die. She felt her friend die.

-

Rei's eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling above her. The ceiling fan had been turned off, making the light in the room flicker with every spin. If Rei had put an exact point upon it, it would seem the darkness would fill the room whenever the chipped part of the fan hit six o'clock. Her entire body tensed, gripping the edge of the bed, with murmurs and whispers from the hallway slowly leaked through the crack in the door to her ears. Her heart was racing, her breathing quick and short. Sweat dripped off her forehead onto the pillow she was forced down upon. She had awakened right around the time she was brought back to her room, but a sudden bad feeling in the pit of her stomach within the walls of the room forced her to fight against the nurses, wanting to simply get the heck out of the room. After nearly drowning the girl with drugs to keep her calm, Rei never moved from her position, her eyes staring into the four corners of the ceiling, the very darkest parts of the room, waiting… simply waiting…

-

"She's been like this since how long?" Dr. Mizuno asked, adjusting her glasses through the glass part of the door, focusing upon the tense figure upon the hospital bed, afraid to even move.

"Since she woke up, which was…" a nurse started, as she flipped through the paper work to find out the exact time when the girl awoke from fainting. "Just around three in the morning. A janitor found her in Special Care Nursery, lying on the floor."

"What was she doing down there?" the blue haired doctor asked, turning to the head nurse. The blonde haired nurse placed her hand to her forehead, her index finger slowly patting her forehead.

"I have no idea," she replied with a shake of her head. "She says she's been having trouble sleeping, so I upped the dosage on her sleeping medication. I knew the girl was known for going for random walks, but nothing at night. Especially when her sleeping meds could have kicked in at any moment. I'm surprised she made it as far as she did without simply passing out."

"Well, she did pass out," the doctor stated firmly, as she extended her hand for the report, which the nurse happily handed over. Flipping through some of the pages, she checked through her medication. "She's not allergic to any of the medication?"

"No allergies," the nurse stated.

"And not a damn thing to do with the side effects," the doctor shook her head, removing her glasses, as she turned to the glass again to her daughter's friend.

"She should have been asleep hours ago, but I don't think she's even blinked," the nurse stated hesitantly, looking past the nurse through the window as well. The doctor shook her head, turning to her head nurse.

"There's not much we can do now until morning," she said, as she passed her the clip board. "Run an MRI tomorrow. She's been through a traumatic experience, and the medication may have something to do with it."

"She was prescribed a heavy amount," the nurse then brought up. The doctor turned from nurse back to Rei.

"Who prescribed her the medication?" Mizuno asked the girl.

"Um…" she started to go through the paper work. "Doctor Watashi."

-

Meioh Setsuna calmly walked along the side walk through the busy streets of Tokyo, brushing the dark green strands of hair that fell over her eyes. As she tucked the strands behind her ear, she paused at the current intersection, placing her hand upon the light post as she lifted her right leg up, rubbing the ankle.

'_I don't think I'll ever understand how Mars is able to battle in heels,'_ the woman thought with a sigh, ignoring the throbbing pain in her heel, forcing it back to the ground as the walking sign lit up. As the cross walk filled with people, she kept herself lost in the crowd, continuing at her normal pace.

Rather disturbed over the current wall of clouds within the gates of time, she felt a walk was in order to calm her nerves. She never understood just why or how the idea came into her mind, for she hated walking in heels, and especially hated to waste her break simply walking around two city blocks for a half an hour. Though the trouble she had within her 'second' and 'primary' job, she simply couldn't shake the thought all throughout her normal every day job. Thus the reasoning for her current stroll upon the board walk, taking a turn around the third corner, heading back to her work.

The Guardian of Time froze suddenly in mid step, just before she stepped onto the street as the DO NOT WALK sign lit up. A feeling of deja vou wiped over her suddenly, something she rarely felt unless she had trouble seeing through the portals of time. The exact trouble she had currently been having. Like a movie, the scene played through her mind numerous times. The scene would start off different, as if the girl would take a new action with the new information she had available, but the outcome was always the same. Her heart raced, her breathing increasing. She threw her arm out to her side, with her hair tossed about.

"NO!" she screamed just before the truck hit.

-

Kanji Watashi adjusted his suit, as he walked through the double doors of the hospital, the warm sunlight soon leaving his white coat as it was replaced by artificial heat, and artificial sunlight. Within a step into the automatic doors, it seemed the drama of the ER hit him. Voices yelled back and forth, as medical terms were corrected, and people were pushed and pulled through the hallways, the doctor making his way toward the locker room. With a hand upon the knob, a small hand pressed it closed, apparently preventing him from changing fully into uniform. As the rusty brown haired doctor turned, adjusting his glasses, he noticed his blue haired apprentice with a stern look upon her face, one which he had rarely seen.

"Watashi," the doctor spoke softly, though her tone was much less friendly.

"Mizuno," he replied equally, removing his hand from the knob with a raised eyebrow. "Since when were we moved to last name basis?"

"Since you filled this out," she said, as she pulled a paper from the Hino folder she had in her arms.

"Hm…" he said, as he looked it over briefly. "Hino? What's the problem?"

"She was found unconscious last night, wondering the halls after hours," the well known doctor replied, reading off the man's changing expressions. Watashi's eyebrow raised only momentarily, as he continued to read over his own hand writing, then focusing upon the doctor.

"What does this have to do with me?" the doctor asked curiously. "Obviously the girl's been known to sneak out of her room when she isn't well enough to be out of bed. Typical teenagers."

"It has everything to do with you," Ami's mother countered with a frown, placing her finger toward the bottom of the report. "What were you doing checking up on my patients in the first place?"

"A little defensive, Mizuno," the man said as he raised an eyebrow. "I was told the girl was having trouble sleeping, so I prescribed some sleeping medication to help with the situation. I see no problem with that."

"That's exactly the problem!" Mizuno nearly yelled, not understanding the fact that the doctor still refused to see his own mistake. "Your sleeping medication interfered with her pain medication!"

"What!" the doctor pulled the paper fully into his grasp, as the blue haired girl pulled out another file.

"This is my report after she was taken in," and with that said, she handed the paper over.

"Impossible! I checked the files myself!" The doctor looked back and forth between the two pieces of paper, as heat started to build suddenly. Mizuno frowned, pulling the pieces of paper from his grasp.

"You'll have to take this up with the board," she said, eyeing the man who merely could not even look her in the eyes. "I'm sorry, but mistakes like this cost people their lives."

"I didn't…" the man placed a hand onto his head as he started to shake it slightly, leaning against the wall for support.

"I'm sorry, Watashi," she said softly, turning to head back toward her patient. Watashi leaned against the door, his eyes finally looking up to the back of the doctor.

"No, Mizuno," he said softly, as his gaze lowered. "I'm sorry."

-

Doctor Mizuno tapped her knuckle lightly upon the open door, peeking her head toward the raven haired girl upon the bed, her back toward the door, facing the window. She lay motionless, even when she called out to the girl. The doctor's face feel slightly, worry filling her as she moved herself toward the bed.

"Rei?" she asked quietly, moving herself toward the girl, whose eyes were wide open still, staring out the open window. Her gaze broke when the doctor waved a hand in front of her, her shaking violet eyes moist with fought back tears. "Are you alright?"

"I can't stay here," the girl said softly, with her hands tucked under her head as it moved upward to view the doctor. "I can't."

"Why?" the doctor was curious to just why the girl was so anxious to leave.

"I have to protect the princess," Rei confessed, as her eyes trailed toward the window. The blue haired doctor turned to the same window, looking out to the blue lit sky. Being so many stories up, the only thing she could see from the window at her angle was Tokyo Tower. The doctor sighed, as she looked back to the girl, placing a hand upon the girl's shoulder.

"Don't worry Rei, everything's going to be fine. You just have to rest a few days for the medication to flood through your system," the doctor said in her motherly voice with a warm smile. Rei shook her head, as she finally made movement, turning from the doctor's touch, forcing herself to sit up.

"No, there's no time," Rei said suddenly, as she sat up, wobbling slightly to the side as she sat up fully. "The princess is in danger. I can't be here!"

"Rei, calm down," she said, as she stood, walking over to the other side of the bed to prevent the girl from another run. Rei's hands pushed the doctor to the side, but in her weakened state, the doctor caught her balance. "Rei!"

"Back off!" she yelled, shocking the doctor. "Don't you get it?"

"Get what?" Mizuno couldn't believe she was actually listening to the half hysterical girl. She could only imagine what the girl's mind was going through under the heavy medication she had been given.

"If she isn't saved, we'll all die!" Rei removed the sheets from her lap, as she forced her bare feet to the cold floor. A shiver instantly ran up her body, her eyes slightly twitching to the sensation her body felt in a minor temperature drop.

"Rei, you can't leave like this," Ami's mother said, placing her hands firmly upon the girl's shoulders. "I'm sorry Rei, but you can't."

"Get back!" Rei's foot forced the doctor against the wall, sending a rolling cart along with her to the floor. Her muscles tingled, as she forced herself to stand. The walls danced around her, as if attempting to hypnotize her. Shadows bounced from wall to wall, as the miko's eyes bounced along with them, attempting to keep up with the fast changing forms of darkness. "Their already here!"

The fire priestess didn't give time for the doctor to question from her current position on the floor, as Rei pushed forward, one shaky step after another. Her vision was blurry, and her mind was heavy. The atmosphere around her seemed fantasy, as figures changed before her eyes, the shadows along the hall way forming into creatures of darkness.

"No!" she screamed, bumping into a doctor who fell to the ground from the girl's rush. Rei broke into a run down the hall. Her mind simply wouldn't work right, as it continued to process the images before her incorrectly. Doctor Mizuno popped her head from the room, her glasses clear off her head, looking left then right.

"REI!"

-

"Usagi," Minako sighed, as she walked along side her friend toward the hospital in their traditional school uniform. "We're going to be in a lot of trouble for not showing up. And you know Ami's going to have plenty to say at our study session later on."

"I know," Usagi replied with a worried sigh, as the hospital came into sight. "I just had a really bad dream last night, and I just want to make sure everything's alright with Rei."

"Ami's mother is the doctor looking after her," Minako responded with a bright smile. "Who better to look after Rei than the mother of the highest IQ in our class?"

"I'm still worried," Usagi admitted with a defeated sigh. "I just can't shake this bad feeling I've had ever since that night."

"Hey," Minako said, as she hugged her friend tightly with her inner arm, slightly bumping foreheads with the girl. "Rei's alright. She survived the crash, along with her father and a few others."

"They said they never found out how the plane went down," Usagi interrupted the girl with a random thought. Usagi turned to the girl to fill her in. "It was all over the news since it had to do with Rei's dad."

The two had talked the entire way to the hospital, as they passed through the double doors, being greeted with the normal sounds of a hysterical hospital.

"Wow, it's really busy," Minako stated, as stretchers lined up with people made their way passed her, heading toward the elevators. As the blonde pair made their way to the receptionist desk, they were surprised to find Haruka pounding her hand upon the desk, demanding answers from the woman in charge.

"Fourth floor, third hallway down on the left, room three-forty-seven" the girl finally responded after typing out various keys on the computer screen.

"Haruka!" Usagi yelled with a waving hand, worry suddenly filling her face as she saw the expression upon the older woman. "What's wrong?"

"Setsuna-sama," she said with a frown, as she paced toward the stairwell, with Usagi and Minako quickly closing the gap. "There was an accident."

Usagi stopped immediately in her tracks to the mentioning of the word.

"What happened?" Minako asked, as they pushed through the door to the stair way, rushing up the flight up stairs.

"A car accident," Haruka replied. "I don't know anything besides that."

The three blondes made it up to the fourth floor, Usagi and Minako easily able to keep up with all the 'training' they undergo every time they're late for school. As they made it to the room, they found the door closed with a doctor inside and a nurse waiting outside the door.

"Tenoh, Haruka?" the red-haired nurse asked. Haruka nodded, and the nurse continued. "Your roommate, Miss Meioh was involved in a car accident on the corner of-"

"Is she alright?" Haruka interrupted, as her head peered through the glass upon the door. The nurse looked over her shoulder, and continued to speak.

"Unbelievably, she walked away with minor cuts and bruises, though we are unable to determine just why she won't wake up," the nurse's face fell, as she turned back toward Haruka. "She's in a coma."

The three blondes stared in shock through the window, Haruka wanting to have a better idea of what exactly happened.

"What happened?" Haruka asked, wanting to hear exactly what happened during the accident. The nurse reached for a folder she had been holding, pulling out a card.

"I don't know," she said, as she handed the card to the older woman. "But a man told me to give this to you. He said he had some questions for you, and the rest of your house hold."

"Questions? What for?" Haruka asked suddenly.

"Well," she said as her voice trailed. "They don't think it was an accident."

-

Ami let out a yawn, as she stretched out her limbs. Though very uncharacteristic like of her, she had asked her last class teacher to leave early to check on a friend in the hospital. Seeing as she was well ahead of the class already, the girl had been able to leave class at the beginning, an hour before her school got out. As Ami lined up for the city's bus, she was surprised when she felt a playful jab at her arm, turning to see none other than the Senshi of Lighting standing next to her with the widest grin.

"Ditching class, are we?" Makoto's sarcasm matched her expression, as she crossed her arms over her chest. Ami blushed, as she pulled the glasses she had been wearing from her face, placing them within the safeness of her knapsack.

"Actually, for your information, I asked the teacher if I could leave early," Ami replied truthfully, though the girl only teased her more.

"Wow, first Usagi and Minako, and now you Ami," Makoto stated, as she counted the names upon her fingers, finishing by looking to the blue haired genius. "You know, I knew those two were a bad influence on you."

"And you're any better?" Ami countered with wisdom, referring to the girl's current situation. "And what's your excuse for not being in class?"

"Like I'm going to sit in class on a beautiful day like this while my friends are all off gallivanting throughout Tokyo? Ami, I thought you knew me better."

-

Author's Notes:

Yea, a short chapter, I'm aware… the next chapter though, will mark the end of Part I, and the start of Part II, so don't you worry… I'll work on it and get it out to you as fast as I can. Thanks for the reviews, and Ja ne!


	6. Book 1 Part I VI

**Escaping Fate**

**Book I**

**Part I**

VI 

Haruka stood at the window, while Michiru talked with the detective. She couldn't pull her eyes from the unconscious green haired woman upon the bed, wondering how the hell a Senshi of Time and Space couldn't see a truck coming. Shaking her head, she turned her eyes toward the detective and Michiru, talking about possible people who may not be happy with the fashion designer. It was pointless! Haruka shook her head, as she pushed from the hospital wall. It was obviously Youma. But how could they have known Setsuna was a Sailor Senshi? Haruka shook her head again, her thoughts bringing her no where.

Michiru broke her eyes from the man to view Haruka, her expression saddening. She seemed to be taking the news harder than herself, and for that, she felt guilty. She turned back to the detective, assuring him of all his questions, before the man finally finished. After jotting down a few more notes, the man rose, thanking the two for their time, before finally leaving the hallway, most likely back to his office to analyze the information he had gathered. Michiru rose from her seat, walking over to Haruka, who had fixated her gaze upon the elder senshi once again, resting her forearm upon the glass, along with her forehead, her other hand holding some of her weight, pressing up against the counter against the wall.

Slender hands wrapped around her tight stomach, as the smell of lavender and peaches filled her nostrils. Haruka never let her eyes drop from the elder woman, feeling Michiru rest her head upon her shoulder, unable to rid the frown from her face.

"You think it was a Youma," Michiru said more like a statement rather than a question. Haruka placed her hand around Michiru's own, gripping her hand slightly. "If it was, then they would have to know who she was."

"They could know all of us," Haruka finally spoke, catching Michiru off guard. "None of us are safe."

"But how could Youma figure out her identity?" Michiru wasn't certain that it was Youma that had done this to their fellow senshi. Haruka shook her head.

"I don't know, but it reeks of Youma," she said. Even though Michiru wasn't certain, she couldn't disagree with Haruka's statement. It certainly didn't feel right, Michiru thought in agreement. "I don't like this… I don't like this one bit. First Rei, now Setsuna."

"You think they're related?" Michiru asked in surprise. She felt Haruka shrug her shoulders.

"I don't know," Haruka said in slight frustration. "I just can't see how Setsuna didn't say anything about Rei, or how she couldn't see something like this happening."

"She has been awfully quiet for the past week," Michiru admitted, as she took in the scent of her lover. "Maybe these events aren't caused by Youma." She felt Haruka tense at the statement. "Maybe she knew of these events, and couldn't prevent them. Maybe that's why she's been so quiet lately."

Haruka didn't reply. She kept her eyes upon the woman in the other room, letting out a sigh.

"She what!" Usagi nearly yelled, gathering the attention of all the hospital staff. Minako rubbed the girl's shoulder with the arm she had wrapped around her with an equally worried expression on her face as they listened to Ami's mother tell them of what happened.

"She kept saying she had to save the princess," Dr. Mizuno replied with a worried expression of her own. "We have hospital security looking for her now, and covering all the exits, but she could be anywhere in the building."

"Rei…" Usagi's breath caught, bringing a hand to her mouth, looking past the blue haired doctor as if she wasn't even there.

"Usagi," the doctor continued. "Rei is under a lot of heavy pain medication. She's delirious. She's seeing things that aren't there, and with all the trauma she's been through, she's unable to wake up from this dream she's sunken herself into."

"I thought you said she was so weak, she could barely get out of bed," Minako asked thoughtfully, remembering the weak version of Rei when she had come to visit the other day. The doctor shook her head.

"When your mind makes up things like the things she is seeing, you'd be surprised what you'd be able to do," she said, adjusting her glasses. "I'd say adrenaline mostly."

Usagi shook her head of the images of a scared Rei-chan running around the hospital confused, and unable to wake up from the dream. Tears built up within the blue eyes of the Odango Atama, forcing the grip of the Senshi of Love from her.

"Usagi?" Minako asked, but she was already gone, half way down the hall.

'_I have to find her,'_ she thought to herself, turning a corner. _'I'll find you, Rei! I promise!'_

Rei breathed heavily on the stairwell, hugging her knees to her chest. She couldn't move after climbing up all the flights of stairs, and collapsing at the fire escape door. She pulled herself into the corner, staring at the shadows of the stairwell, breathing heavily as they danced around her, mocking her. She wanted to close her eyes, to shut them tightly, rid herself from these shadow demons, but she knew if she had, they would take her. It was exactly what they wanted her to do.

Tears filled her eyes, but she refused to sob, breathing so quietly, she could barely notice herself if she had stopped breathing. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, almost to the point she felt it would deafen her. She constantly heard people shifting up the stairs, but never to the top floor, in and out of the floors beneath her. Her breathing became unsteady, wanting to bury her face in her knees and cry, to simply break down, to run away from this horror she felt.

"Princess…"

Usagi ran through the hospital, completely lost. She had heard Mina's voice long ago, but she had lost it back when she had run through the cafeteria, and now she didn't know where she was. Looking around, she took a left to the stairwell, pushing the door open. She stopped for a moment, leaning on the rail as her heart raced, her lungs pleading for air.

"Maybe Luna was right," she panted, wiping the beads of sweat that had formed upon her forehead. "Maybe I am out of shape."

"Princess…"

Usagi froze, holding her breath as her ears caught the muttered word of her Rei-chan, trying desperately to listen.

"Rei?" She didn't know why she whispered her name. She herself couldn't hear the name being called. "Rei?"

Her voice was a little louder, though she heard no response.

"Rei!" she finally yelled downward, leaning over the stairwell. Finally, after an eternity of silence, she heard quiet sobs from above her, twirling her head upward. In a mad dash, Usagi took to the stairs, running as fast as she could to the source of the crying, finally coming to a broken down Rei, with her head in her knees, and hugging her legs to her chest, sobbing her heart out. "Rei…"

"Princess?" she murmured, as her head rose, her eyes moist and red, her skin pale and exhausted. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. She looked… sick.

"Yes, Rei," Usagi nodded, as she walked slowly to her. "I'm here."

Usagi moved slowly to her, Rei's eyes never leaving those blue orbs. Usagi wrapped her arms around the girl, and Rei instantly clutched to her, as if she weren't really there, like she would suddenly vanish in thin air, and Rei would be alone in the darkness that surrounded her. She felt Rei calm, and in curiosity, Usagi turned to find the girl asleep.

"So exhausted," Usagi whispered with a sad look. "Oh, Rei-chan…"

"She's sedated," Dr. Mizuno said to the girls. Haruka looked from Rei to the doctor curiously.

"What made her delirious in the first place?" Haruka asked, referring to the doctor's earlier comments when Usagi had brought Rei back. Ami's mother removed her glasses from her face, pinching the place between her eyes.

"She was on multiple sets of medication," the doctor replied, rubbing her brow lightly as she looked back to the group. "Her previous doctor had prescribed a heavy amount of pain killers that interfered with her sleeping medication."

The three blondes and Michiru all looked to Rei with a worried look. Haruka frowned, looking back to the doctor. As she opened her mouth to speak, Ami's mother held her hand up with a nod of her head.

"He was discharged today," she replied. "We can not have mistakes like that going on when someone's life is on the line."

"When will she wake up?" Usagi asked, not taking her eyes off the fire senshi through the window of the door. The doctor shook her head, as she studied her daughter's friend carefully.

"She hasn't been getting much sleep lately," she told her, placing a hand upon the worried girl's shoulder. "But don't worry. I'm going to be looking after her myself from now on."

"You can do that?" Haruka asked curiously, suddenly feeling a bit better over the situation. Dr. Mizuno nodded.

"I have seniority here," she smirked, then looked back to her patient. "No one will have a problem with it."

"That's good to hear," Minako nodded. The doctor nodded, and left the girls alone. Michiru placed a hand upon her princess' shoulder.

"Don't worry," she said to her. "Rei will pull through."

"Yea," Minako added cheerfully. "Nothing can hold her down, right?"

Rei let out a groan, feeling the moist dirt underneath her form. As her eyes opened, darkness surrounded her, the rain soaking her outfit completely, mud staining the front of her out fit as she forced herself to stand. As her head rose, her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness surrounding her, a wet hand running through her hair, brushing her bangs from her field of view. Trees surrounded her in every direction, thunder clapping above her just as she looked up.

"Hino-sama!"

Rei quickly turned to the source of the voice, surprised to find the waving hand of Keishi Kuromatsu, one arm upon a tree branch, leaning her weight against it. Rei quickly ran over to the girl, doing her best not to trip.

"Miss Kuromatsu," Rei called as she finally greeted her. "What happened?"

"I don't know," the girl shook her head, appearing to be out of breath. "Something was wrong with the plane…"

Instantly, memories of the incident filled Rei's mind, her eyes shutting tightly, trying to push away the fear she attempted to hold in. As Keishi looked up, she gave the senshi of fire an odd look, one that brought the raven haired girl to question.

"What is it?" Rei asked. Keishi blinked.

"I thought you…" she started, as she studied the girl's face. She shook her head, continuing. "It's nothing. We should see if we can find anyone else."

"Right," Rei nodded. "Are you alright to walk?"

"Yea," Keishi nodded. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"Where's the plane?" Rei asked, looking around to try and figure out exactly which direction they should head in. Keishi shook her head.

"I don't know," she answered, wrapping her arms around her stomach as the rain continued to pour down on them. Endless questions started to run through Rei's mind all at once, but she forced them aside the best to her ability. She needed to find the plane. She needed to find her father.

Quickly patting her back pocket, she breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the padding of papers she always kept upon her. Pulling a slip out, she held the marked ofuda in front of her, her eyes closing in concentration. Keishi watched, as the girl chanted in the ways of a priestess, the soggy piece of paper straightening to the girl's command, the girl's eyes widening in slight amazement. With a slight wind, the paper folded and Rei opened her eyes.

"Follow me," Rei said, as she started through the thick forest, with Keishi right behind her.

"Hino-sama!" Keishi yelled as they came to a clearing. Rei quickly followed the girl as the two ran to the man sprawled out onto the ground. They had found others in the same situation as they, lying on the ground, completely unharmed, and in complete confusion of what happened. Rei ran up to her father's side, rolling him over to his back. The man mumbled something under his breath, before his eyes parted, taking in the view of his daughter.

"Rei…" his voice scratched out, forcing himself to sit up as he rubbed his head. "What happened?"

An eerie feeling flared within the priestess, her brows lowering while her head turned toward the direction their group had just come from. Keishi looked to where Rei was looking in confusion.

"What's wrong?" the girl asked, fear filling her with the serious expression Rei held on her face.

"We have to get out of here," she said, as two of the men Rei and Keishi had found earlier helped Rei with her father, lifting him to his feet.

"Are you alright Mr. Hino?" one of them asked. Rei's father nodded, rubbing his forehead.

"Yes," he assured them, gaining his footing and holding his own. "Just a little tired, that's all."

"There's still some people missing," the other man said, doing a quick head count.

"We should try to find the plane," another woman added in.

"Right," Rei quickly added, turning her eyes from where they had just come from. "We should get moving now."

The older people of the group, surprisingly, had no problem following the daughter of the politician, as she quickly lead the group through the forest, weaving their way through trees, uplifting roots and trees. Rei's breathing quickened, as she looked over her shoulder, the feeling never leaving the pit of her stomach.

"What's wrong?" Keishi asked her once again, noticing the girl continuing to look behind her.

"I can't shake this bad feeling I have," Rei confessed, as she continued to press forward in search of their plane. Keishi shook her head slightly.

"Well, our plane crashed and we were thrown pretty far away from wherever it landed and we survived without a scratch," Keishi stated firmly. Rei blinked suddenly, realization hitting her. She rubbed her nose a bit in curiosity.

"What was that?"

Rei's instincts came in, as she quickly turned to where she too had heard something.

"I didn't hear anything," one of the lawyers stated firmly. Another sound of thunder from above. "We should keep moving."

Rei kept her eyes at the darkness. Something was following them.

"Yes," Keishi nodded, waving her hand to the group. "Let's go."

Rei kept herself at the back of the group, keeping herself in between the group. Her right hand dug into her side pocket, wrapping her fingers firmly around the second of three items she assured to always have on her.

"Look!" a woman shouted, grasping the closest arm next to her in fear, pointing toward the shadows to her right, a figure quickly passing them. Rei's brows lowered with a frown.

"What the hell was that?"

"I told you I heard something!"

Rei pushed the commotion aside, her eyes traveling through the darkness that surrounded her, her senses flaring, the smell of evil seeming to be all around them. The aura seemed so heavily filled, it blinded her senses, unable to detect just where it was coming from.

"Ah!"

The woman was quickly picked up from the ground, ripped away from the man's arm she was holding onto. A gray hue formed around the girl, as she screamed hysterically. Rei quickly ran, but was suddenly blinded by a flash of light. When she removed her hands from her eyes, the girl was gone.

"What the hell!"

"We need to get out of here, now!"

Panic quickly filled everyone, as they almost all ran in opposite directions.

"What the hell!"

A repeat of phrases, and mild curses caught the priestess' attention, turning to view one of the men attempting to run, his hands moved out in front of him as if something were there.

"What is this?" he said, as he attempted to push his hand further. Rei's eyes lowered, quickly raising to the sky. As her eyes flickered, she noticed it. Lowering her eyes quickly, she followed the semi-invisible structure around them, which seemed to have them blocked of any escape.

"An invisible wall?" the man said, as he started to kick at it. "Let us out of here!"

Rei cursed under her breath, tightly gripping her transformation stick. She wouldn't be able to transform with everyone around to see her, even her father! She wouldn't have a choice, however, if whatever attacked the woman decided to come after the rest of them. Rei's eyes turned to the shadows, just as the creature jumped out at her. It grasped her free hand, while she pulled her other out, smashing it into the creature's face, stumbling back however from the momentum.

"Rei!"

The politician turned to see his daughter falling to the ground with some sort of black cloaked creature on top of her, holding her hands to the ground. Rei's transformation stick was thrown to the side the instant she had hit the creature's face, now struggling against its hold.

Lifting her knee, she kicked the creature up, and extending her leg, kicked it backward. She quickly rolled backward, her hands grasping the stick she had lost, while she reached into her back pocket, pulling out a soaking wet paper ofuda.

"Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen," she chanted, charging up the simple piece of paper. The water suddenly splashing off the paper, once again straightening to the priestess' command. "Akuryou taisan!"

She wound her hand back, and threw the paper to the creature's hood-covered face. With an outstretched hand, it cut straight through the paper. Rei's eyes widened in surprise, her eyes moving to her transformation stick. Gritting her teeth, her eyes returned to the group that huddled together, her father already running toward her position. She couldn't put them in danger. She had no other choice.

The creature grinned, as its black hand started to move toward the male figure heading toward them. Rei's father was now lifted into the air, Rei's eyes turning in pure horror. With no time left and no other choice, Rei lifted her transformation stick up high.

"Mars Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

The group watched in utter amazement, at first blinded by light, but witnessing the transformation nonetheless, Rei's own father looking down from where he floated. Even the creature stopped to investigate the girl's actions.

Rei threw her hand up, as each of her five nails flashed red, then wrapped firmly around the transformation stick. The star upon the stick glowed a red hue, as the emblem of Mars spun. Suddenly, flames shot out from the stick, completely surrounding Rei's form, engulfing her in flames. She lifted from the air, as she extended her other hand outward, the flames spiraling around her as her entire body lost its color, becoming a solid crystallized hue. The flames gained a solid form of several rings, surrounding the priestess. Starting at the girl's legs, her feet were put into a pair of red high heeled shoes, with her skin reaching up to the short red skirt, barely passing mid thigh.

A red bow tied itself firmly at her back, keeping her new uniform in place, with a white sleeveless top, red sailor sash around her neck reaching to the purple bow at her chest. Two white gloved hands spun around, one set to the side while she placed the other at her him, a trim upon the shoulders of her white shirt, as well as at the end of her gloves. Her hair parted aside, as the gold tiara around her forehead flashed the sign of mars, just as she landed to the ground. Rei Hino was now replaced with Sailor Mars.

"No way!"

Voices of shock quickly filled Mars' ears, but kept her eyes firmly locked upon the creature before her, who only grinned at her new transformed state. Taking quick action, Mar's held her hand downward, the sign of Mars appearing at her glove's palm. Instantaneously, fire erupted from her hands, turning into a solid form of red energy, stretched out into the shape of an arrow. She crouched down to take aim, with her other hand extended forward, while pulling back on the arrow, flames formed two arches in the shape of a bow, and aimed the arrow directly for the creature's face.

With great precision, she let go of the arrow at a ridiculously close range. Within less than a blink of an eye, the arrow tore through the creature's face, tearing straight through the cloak. As Mars stood from her crouched stance, she investigated the remains. Nothing but the cloak was left, floating in the wind. The eerie feeling never left her stomach, but the dark energy field surrounding them shattered like glass, resulting in cheers from all around.

Rei turned around, witnessing all the shocked expressions, especially that of her own father. Sitting on the ground, leaning on his elbows, he merely looked at his daughter as if she weren't even that. She tore her gaze from him, unable to take the look he was giving her, turning to the others to speak, but found she had suddenly lost her voice. What the hell was she supposed to say to these people?

'_Hey, since I saved your lives and all, you think you can keep my identity a secret?'_

She suddenly screamed, as electricity scorched through her body, making her back arch and her head tilt upward. Her eyes shut tightly, as the air was forced from her lungs in a pure pain filled cry. Black energy surrounded her like bolts of lightning, bringing her to her knees. Rei's father started toward her, but she quickly threw up her hand the moment she noticed.

"RUN!"

Most ran the moment she ordered them to, not having to be told twice. Rei's father, and surprisingly, Keishi Kuromatsu hesitated, looking to the girl that had just been brought to her knees in pain, with them unable to do anything but watch. A black creature immerged from across from them, its ghostly hand stretched outward, sending wave after wave of black energy surging through the senshi of fire's body. Mars turned her head just in time to see the creature grasp her throat, and lift her up into the air. The fire senshi gritted her teeth, barely able to keep an eye open as the pain continued to fill her body.

"How?"

The question seemed to come from all around her, and not from the creature. As if echoing through her mind. She shook her head, as her hands grasped the creature's black claws, attempting to pry her neck free. A fist was implanted into the girl's abdomen, knocking all air from her. The grip then tightened, making the girl's eyes widen. Her lung pleaded for air, her eyes watering as her body started to tremble under the lack of oxygen.

Suddenly, the creature let out a cry, the back of its leg suddenly giving as it fell backward, releasing Mars from the death grip, and ending the energy that swirled around the senshi. Mars looked up in shock to find Keishi dropping the log she had just struck the creature with, quickly stepping back, completely in shock over her own actions. Mars rolled back, forcing herself to a crouch position. She had to take this thing out, and she had to do it now.

Standing up, she threw both her hands out to the side, summoning for her planetary energy once again. She quickly brought her hands together, pointing both her index fingers outward in a gun-like position.

"Fire Soul!"

Red energy sparked from the tips of her fingers, growing in a spiral like movement in the form of a flame. The flame grew larger, and the red energy surrounding it exploded, just as the flame shot outward. The creature shifted its form to the side, as the spiraling flame connected to a tree. Instantly, the tree erupted into a fire, but sizzled under the heavy rains.

Rei rolled to the side, as the creature send a ball of black energy toward her, smashing into where she had just stood. She quickly brought her right arm upward, her forearm blocking a swift kick of the black creature's leg, attempting to completely take her head off. Staggering to the side, but still holding her footing, Mars lifted her own leg, tucking it as it lifted, then extending her heel fully into the creature's abdomen, her heel striking dead center.

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

As the creature staggered back, Mars once again pulled back the fully energized arrow, but quickly saw the attack, and dashed to the side just as the arrow smashed into a tree. With the flaming bow still in her hand, she ran after the creature, jumping up for another kick, only to have her leg be brushed aside by its arm, and its hand grasp her throat once again. Mars cursed for getting stuck in the same position twice in a fight, as the grip suddenly tightened around her already bruised neck.

Gritting her teeth, she quickly called forth another arrow, extending her hands straight in front of the creature.

"Mars…"

Her voice cracked out, as the energy started to fade. Determination settled in, as her eyebrows lowered in concentration, strengthening both the bow and arrow.

"Flame Sniper!"

She let go, and this time, the creature's head erupted in a red energy, releasing the fire senshi once again to the ground. Mars fell to her knees, leaning back panting heavily, watching as the creature grasped its head. It exploded in a red blast, turning its body into ashes.

Mars looked around, finding she was surrounded in complete darkness. Breathing heavily, she forced herself to stand, staggering a moment to gain her footing. She brought a trembling hand to her sore neck, bringing a dull pain with the slightest touch. She winced and pulled her hand away, then turned to the direction she had seen the others run off in. She quickly ran to catch up, hoping there weren't any more Youma ahead of them aside from the one she had just taken out.

Trees were lifted all around her, as she came into a clearing, the crash site of the plane. It seemed she had moved much faster than the others, for it seemed that just as Mars had gotten there, the others had just finished catching their own breaths. Either that, or they were terribly out of shape. What could you expect from a bunch of over weight politicians and lawyers? Mars couldn't believe she found herself laughing on the inside at the thought. Keishi and her father were sitting on a rock next to the plane, while the others continued to ask endless questions, not understanding what on Earth had just attacked them. With a final look over the area, and the eerie slightly lessening, Mars took the moment to de-transform, replacing Sailor Mars with Rei Hino once again.

"Has anyone checked the plane?" Keishi finally asked after she caught her breath, standing up from the rock as she started to walk toward it.

"Hell no!" one of the lawyers yelled. "I ain't going anywhere until I know what the hell that thing was!"

"What happened to that lady?" another man asked, turning to Mars as if she had the answer.

"And who the hell are you?" the first lawyer asked, turning to the senshi of fire. "What the hell was that thing?"

Rei shook her head, frowning.

"I don't know what it was," she answered truthfully. The lawyer threw up his hands.

"Bullshit!" he yelled. "What the hell is going on here!"

The man continued to scream and yell, until his face was slapped by the backside of Rei's hand, a firm frown placed upon her face. The man stopped instantly, placing a hand on his stinging cheek, in shock to what the girl had just done.

"I'm sorry," Rei then said under the silence, as the rain continued to pour down upon them, lightening slightly since earlier. "I don't have any answers for you."

"You don't have any answers for me? What kind of response-"

He was then silenced by the glare he received from the fire senshi. He mumbled a few choice words, before returning to the others. Rei turned toward the two that were last to leave, her father's head lowered, still apparently out of breath, and probably hadn't even noticed she had arrived. Keishi turned from her spot to view the senshi, holding a timid smile. She walked over, rubbing her arm slightly, as she looked into the eyes of Rei.

"So you're really Sailor Mars?"

Rei was hesitant to answer at first, but nodded her head. Keishi searched her eyes, and her smile grew, as she bowed her head.

"I never got to thank you."

"Thank me?" Rei asked curiously. She dismissed it with a wave of her hand and a shake of her head. "I couldn't just stand there and-"

"I don't mean just now," Keishi confessed. "It was a while ago. It was my day off, and I was in the park, reading on a bench when this… creature came out of nowhere. I remember seeing you first, coming up to try to save me, but I blacked out. I could never remember what had actually happened, but when I came to, I saw five Sailor Senshi gathered around me."

Rei's memory sparked suddenly, remembering the encounter slightly.

"So," Keishi smiled rather childishly. Almost like a child meeting their super hero for the first time. "I wanted to thank you, Sailor Mars."

"You don't have to call me that," Rei said with a blush, looking away. "I would actually prefer if you didn't."

"Don't worry," she said with a confident grin that placed her directly back in character. "Your secret's safe with me."

Rei's eyes shifted toward the other politicians, which Keishi noticed immediately.

"I wouldn't worry about them either," Keishi stated. "They maybe jerks, but they're very loyal to your father. They wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize himself or you."

Rei smiled with a nod. Suddenly, one of the lawyers looked passed the two of them, his eyes widening.

"Kanna? It can't be…"

Rei's eyes moved toward where the man was looking, unable to see nothing but darkness.

"I can't believe it, it is you!"

The lawyer ran toward the image, his arms spread open. Rei's eyes squinted, then widened, throwing her arm out.

"NO!"

The man was gone in a flash, blinding the others who threw their arms and hands up to block the light. Rei's eyes adjusted finally, looking about in attempts to find the man.

"He's gone," Keishi gasped, looking around to find no remains of the man.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"

Rei turned her head yet again to one of the lawyers falling off part of the plane, staggering back as he crawled away, his skin pale. Keishi ran over to the man, wondering what could have troubled him so. Rei turned back just in time to see another creature, similar to the one before, heading toward them, floating with its shadow-like cloak barely touching the ground.

"Everyone, inside the plane!" Rei quickly ordered, as she reached for her pockets.

"Mars Crystal Power, Make Up!"

Once again, the flames surrounded Rei Hino, dimming to bring a battle weary Sailor Mars out, with twin ofudas in each hand.

'_Will this night ever end!'_

"Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen. Akuryou taisan!"

She charged two of them, and threw them to the creature. Stupidly enough, and much to the Fire Senshi's relief, the creature froze as they stuck to its forehead, stopping it dead in its tracks. It twitched slightly, and Mars threw the remaining two at its chest, before throwing her arms outward, bringing them back in after gathering her energy.

"Fire Soul!"

From her fingertips, the spiraling flame shot out to the creature's chest, which could do nothing but be engulfed the flames. Turning to dust, Mars quickly looked around the area one last time, before looking back to the plane.

She quickly ran up to the broken entrance of the plane, her stomach turning instantly at the view. On the floor, a stewardess was lying in a pool of her own blood, making Mars nearly fall, her heels sliding against the thick liquid. Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she placed her hands upon either sides of the wall, keeping her balance and moving forward, into the hallway of the plane.

"Hello?"

She got no response. Nothing but utter silence. Dead silence. Rei's heart started to beat faster, pounding in her mind as she forced herself into the walkway of the private plane, her eyes moving toward some of the passengers of the plane, still inside their seats. Why weren't they thrown from the plane like everyone else? Where _was_ everyone else?

Rei's breathing hastened, as she started to walk down the hallway, familiar faces greeting her along the way. Her hues caught instantly upon the lady that had been taken earlier in the night, widening her eyes, moving closer to the girl to make sure.

"What the hell?"

She turned around, seeing the same group of lawyers that had just walked into the plane, but all strapped to the seats, and looking near death.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Mars turned toward the back of the plane, where she had been sitting with her father. Dread hit her in the chest, as the shadows showed the silhouette of a figure in the seat where her father had been seated. Slowly making her way closer, she extended her hand, squinting her eyes the closer she got.

It was her father.

Strapped in his seat, his head hung low. As she moved toward hi m, she noticed a figure lying on the floor. Positioning herself toward the seats, she glanced down toward the figure, kneeling down to investigate. Her eyes widened in pure shock, as she saw what she would deem completely impossible.

"How…"

Mars instantly tore her eyes from the scene, turning to come face to face with a flash of white light.

Raven black hair reaching down her back, soft lavender eyes and a warm smile. The tall figure that stood before her extended her hand outward.

Mars froze.

Her lips parted, but found she couldn't speak. She also found she had been holding her breath, turning back to the image of herself, lying in a pool of blood on the floor. Her eyes turned back to the image of her mother, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Rei…"

"Rei… you don't belong here…"

Mars sobbed. Her legs felt like rubber, her white gloved hands gripping the seats on both sides of her to keep herself standing. Her legs finally gave, as she fell into a crouch position, unable to look back up to the woman. Was she dead? Was this her mother, taking her from this life?

Mars cried, as her head fell. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to leave everyone behind.

"I don't want to go," Mars barely whispered, finally looking back up with tear filled eyes.

"But you must, my child," the woman said with a look of regret. "It is your time."

"I can't," Mars shook her head.

"You will…"

Mars looked to the seriousness in her mother's eyes, unable to pull away from her gaze. Her legs lifted on their own will, a smile suddenly forced upon her face.

"Alright, mother," Mars smiled, as the tears continued to pour.

'_No!'_

"I'll go with you…"

'_Don't do it!'_

"You're right…"

'_Don't listen to her!'_

"I don't belong here…"

'_Don't go near her!'_

Voices continued to travel through her mind, before she realized she had walked right up to the woman, her own hand mere inches from her mother's. As Mars' eyes traveled back to her mother's, she saw them flicker. With her own eyes widening, the voices became clear. Filled with rage and tears, Mars pulled flicked her wrist, pulling her other hand back, a beam of red energy turning into an arrow, as flames surrounded her other hand.

"Rei… what are you doing?"

"I don't want to go," Rei cried out, trembling as she held the tip of the energized arrow at her mother's neck. "I'm not supposed to go yet. I have a duty to fulfill, a future to protect."

"No, Rei, you are wrong. Your time is now."

'_No it's not!'_

"No it's not!" Mars repeated the words that filled her mind.

'_You have a destiny, Rei.'_

"I have a destiny," Mars choked out, finding it harder and harder to keep her aim upon the woman before her.

"Your destiny is to die, Rei Hino."

Mars let go of the arrow, tearing through the chest of the woman. The image shattered, as the creature was knocked across the plane, turning into dust before it could even land. Mars sank to her knees, in uncontrollable sobs.

"How dare you…" Mars mumbled to the shadows. Her hands went to her eyes, as she brushed the tears away. Turning back, she crawled over to her father, then to the figure lying on the floor. The tears continued to fall, extending a trembling hand toward it.

"Mom…"

The instant she touched the figure, she found she could not retract her hand, as if it were pulling her in. Everything then turned white.

"Mom…"

Time suddenly sped up, as pain filled Rei's mind. Her entire body filled with a pain like no other, her head unable to comprehend a single thought process. She felt a hand caress her cheek, and realized her lungs were pleading desperately for air. Parting her dry lips, she forced her chest to rise, gathering the air she needed, trying not to think of the sharp pain in her chest, most likely caused by a cracked rib.

She attempted to stand, but couldn't feel her legs. She knew they were twisted in some way, feeling them under her back somehow. She lifted her eye lids open, instantly feeling a wave of dizziness hit her, as well as a strange sensation of utopia. Feeling out her limbs, she pulled one arm out, but it merely moved along a thick liquid she seemed to be lying in. She felt something be placed over her, a blanket-like material.

"Hang in their, Rei."

_Haruka?_

Rei felt too tired to think, her mind lost in a sea of thoughts. Darkness seemed suddenly comforting, as she breathed out once again, wincing at the pain. Sirens filled her ears, and suddenly, she felt at peace.

Author's Notes: I hope this chapter makes up for all the non-updating-ness! Sixteen pages ain't that bad, neh? Well, hope you guys liked the little flash back scene there! Thanks for the reviews, and hope you stay with the story. Ja ne!


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